3 Phillies free agents who will be gone after 2023 and who could replace them
By Tim Boyle
2) Craig Kimbrel is a one-year Phillies player who will be replaced by another fallen closer
Craig Kimbrel’s one-year deal with the Phillies for the 2023 season will be unlikely to extend beyond a single season. He fits in nicely with last year’s bullpen theme of acquiring as many fallen closers as possible. The additions of Corey Knebel and Jeurys Familia didn’t work out last year. Brad Hand was a solid reliever for them as was trade deadline addition David Robertson.
Kimbrel’s MLB career hasn’t been nearly as electric as it was earlier on. He was pretty average for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022. The ball club will hope not having him lined up to close games works out better. Seranthony Dominguez should have the ninth inning until proven otherwise.
With 394 saves on his resume and a 2.31 ERA across 13 seasons, fans won’t be expecting anything close to this in 2023. They’ll still plan for him to be better than the 6-7, 3.75 ERA reliever he was for the Dodgers.
The Phillies have had a tough time finding consistency in relief in recent years. Last season was a nice improvement yet it offered them little permanence. Look for Kimbrel to stay in Philadelphia for one season and get replaced next offseason with a closer in a similar situation.
As far as replacing him goes, any ex-closer on the downside of his career with something to prove would make sense. Next offseason’s free agent class doesn’t have anyone who stands out, other than maybe Josh Hader. Instead, look for the Phillies to maybe buy low with a trade if their bullpen blue print doesn’t change.