Mets Rumors: Craig Kimbrel’s price drop could lead to a deal

Per recent New York Mets rumors, the team continues to stay in touch with free agent Craig Kimbrel. He has dropped his asking price which could potentially lead to a deal in the future.

The MLB Hot Stove should have cooled off months ago. However, New York Mets rumors continue to come up every so often in the first month of the season. Specifically, it’s the pair of free agent pitchers they have been linked to on numerous occasions. Dallas Keuchel is one of them, but most recently, Mets rumors have connected them to relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel.

According to Danny Abriano of SNY, the star closer’s price recently dropped and the Mets have continued to check in on him. A challenge all along with attracting Kimbrel to Flushing is that the Mets already have Edwin Diaz as their closer. Kimbrel in blue and orange could mean he takes a setup role instead of the one he’s used to as the ninth-inning man.

If the Mets do indeed begin to focus on Kimbrel, it could mean we see Seth Lugo move from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Jason Vargas had yet another epically poor start on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves where he was pulled before the first inning was through. Kimbrel would give the Mets the kind of back-of-the-bullpen punch a team like the New York Yankees have found comforting.

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It’s not completely unheard of for a team to carry more than one experienced closer. Add Jeurys Familia into the mix, Kimbrel would then give them a three-headed monster possibility. Of course, Familia must first start pitching with a little more consistency.

This offseason, many of the Mets rumors were more focused on addressing other needs. The few we did see about adding pitching involved trades. Kimbrel’s asking price of six-years and at least $100 million now dropping, he’s a more realistic possibility for the boys in Flushing.

One thing I have noticed about the past winter’s barrage of Mets rumors is how many actual transactions seemed to come from nowhere. The trade with the Seattle Mariners, the deal with Jed Lowrie, and a few other moves they made had zero to little build-up.

This doesn’t mean a deal with Kimbrel is impossible. However, with other expected contenders like the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies with no true closer in the bullpen, I would expect they won’t let Kimbrel slip to the Mets at a lower rate too easily.

In addition to those ball clubs, the Washington Nationals are in a similar position as the Mets. They have a closer, but the rest of the bullpen has been disastrous.

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Something needs to be done about Vargas’ spot in the rotation sooner than later. Kimbrel won’t replace Vargas, but adding him to the roster would allow the Mets to shift Lugo into a different role.