Cubs will stick with Craig Kimbrel as closer, come hell or high water

No matter if Craig Kimbrel struggles or not, he’s the Cubs closer this year.

We still have two weeks before the 2020 regular season gets underway. But knowing it’s an all-out 60-game sprint rather than the traditional 162 game marathon, it’s hard not to have a bit more anxiety than normal. After missing the postseason for the first time since 2015 last season, the Cubs are hoping the group can bounce back and get back to their winning ways.

The offense isn’t a huge concern for most people. You’re talking about a group that returns Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber. That’s a pretty fearsome group of bats. But when you shift your focus over to the pitching staff, there are far more questions and a great deal of uncertainty.

We won’t even get into the starting rotation. Chicago knew it faced depth concerns on that front even before Jose Quintana suffered an injury that has his return to the mound on a yet-to-be-determined timetable. It looks like Alec Mills will slot into the final spot in the staff for the time being. But the bullpen faces as many – if not more – questions as we near Opening Day.

Chicago Cubs have to expect better from Kimbrel in 2020

This isn’t anything new, really. The bullpen has made people nervous for awhile now. Last summer, that uneasiness came to a head and prompted the front office to go out and bring in Craig Kimbrel once the draft pick compensation attached to him dropped off. Expecting the potential Hall of Fame stopper he’d been all his career, the Cubs got a very different experience.

The right-hander made 23 appearances – roughly a third of what he’d averaged annually since 2011 – but allowed a career-worst nine home runs and a 6.53 ERA. For the second straight season, his walk rate marked a new personal high and he just flat-out didn’t miss bats like he had in the past. His velocity was down, location was off and his first stint on the North Side was a disaster of epic proportions.

“Terrible is kind of an understatement for what I felt like I did last year,” Kimbrel said this spring. “Going into this year, I just need to get back to doing my job, getting on the mound and saving games. Time will tell. A lot of questions will be answered.”

There are all kinds of potential reasons for his struggles. The irregular offseason and lack of spring training given he didn’t sign till June. The rapid ramp-up once he did sign. His strength regimen during the offseason. Or maybe – and the Cubs are desperately hoping this isn’t the case – this is the beginning of the end for Kimbrel.

Chicago Cubs: For now, the ninth belongs solely to Kimbrel

Logically, you’d think that struggling players will be given a shorter leash than ever this season. But I genuinely don’t believe that it’ll change all that much – especially with veteran guys who have a proven track record.

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Look at Kimbrel, for example. We’re talking about a guy who has a World Series ring, seven All-Star selections and ranks 13th all-time in saves. If we play a full 2021 season, there’s a good chance he becomes just the seventh pitcher in history with more than 400 saves to his credit.

As a first-year manager, Ross is going to trust his veterans. He almost has to. I understand the Cubs could, at least in theory, have alternatives for the ninth inning. Rowan Wick might get a shot or perhaps Jeremy Jeffress or Dan Winkler? But here’s the simple truth: all of those alternatives are huge question marks in the role – bigger ones than Kimbrel, despite all his struggles last year.

“All good with Craig,” Ross said. “He was throwing breaking balls for strikes with ease the other day in the bullpen. The ball was jumping out. Good ride on it. All the numbers we’re getting back from the analytical group and the data we’re receiving from these [bullpen sessions] and these live sessions have been great. The pitching staff looks really, really good.”

Based on everything we’ve heard and seen from the new Cubs skipper, he’s going to trust the analytics and his relationships with guys to make decisions. He’s too familiar with Kimbrel and what he can bring to the table to simply jettison him in lieu of another younger, unproven option – especially given the stakes and the lack of a margin for error this season.