Chicago Cubs Rumors: Kris Bryant to the Rays? Anthony Rizzo to Boston?

Chicago Cubs Rumors: At least 7 teams interested in Craig Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel might be the single most sought-after arm on the trade market this year. The future Hall of Famer picked up right where he left off late in 2020 and has re-established himself as a premier ninth-inning arm this year.

Boasting a 0.49 ERA in 39 appearances, the bearded right-hander is drawing interest from at least seven teams – including the Red Sox and White Sox – according to Bruce Levine. The South Siders previously scouted both Ryan Tepera and Andrew Chafin, as well, although the latter is obviously now a member of the Oakland Athletics.

This is the one move Hoyer has to hit on. Kimbrel has an insane amount of value – not only for his dominance this year, but also the fact he can be retained for 2022 via an option in his contract. That means, if you’re a contender set up to be in the hunt not only this year, but next, you can pencil the flamethrower in for more than a couple months.

The San Diego Padres have also been connected to Kimbrel, although it looks like they’re trying to package one of their top five prospects with Eric Hosmer’s albatross contract to get back under the luxury tax threshold. It’ll be interesting to see if Chicago gets in on that action, taking on a bad contract in order to get their hands on one of baseball’s top young talents.