The slow pace of the MLB free agency market may have picked up a bit with the massive signings of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. But there are still two major free agents yet to find teams, as pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel remain unsigned deep into spring training.
At this point, it’s unlikely that either pitcher would be ready to go for a new team by Opening Day, and neither appears to be particularly close to signing at this point.
Draft Penalties May Be Dissuading Suitors                                                                             Â
Both players have already turned down qualifying offers of just under $18 million from their previous teams – Kimbrel from the Boston Red Sox, and Keuchel from the Houston Astros. That means that any team that signs one of those players would have to compensate their previous team with a draft pick, which may be lowering the offers potential suitors are willing to make.
That could particularly be an issue for Kimbrel, who doesn’t seem to have many clubs looking to sign him. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, both the Nationals and Braves have decided not to pursue the closer, and the Red Sox have made no indication that they plan to bring him back, either.
That could mean that Kimbrel sits out the entire season – or at least until after the amateur draft takes place in June. That would allow another team to sign him without paying any sort of draft pick penalty. There might also be more suitors at that point, as teams look to beef up their bullpens ahead of the trade deadline. If Kimbrel was available to be signed, it’s easy to imagine a contender wanting to pay for his services rather than trading prospects for an inferior option.
Phillies Have Shown Interest in Keuchel
Meanwhile, Keuchel is coming off of a strong season that saw the pitcher remain healthy for the first time in three years. The 31-year-old lefthander is said to be looking for a long-term deal of four years or more, something that has become increasingly difficult to come by for pitchers – especially those who are already heading towards the end of their prime.
The team most connected with Keuchel so far has been the Philadelphia Phillies, who have already made a number of moves in the hopes of contending this season – not the least of which was their 13-year, $330 million deal with Bryce Harper. The Astros have also made overtures to bring Keuchel back, though Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has said that Houston has only offered the pitcher a one- or two-year deal.
Both Keuchel and Kimbrel ranked highly on most lists of available free agents this offseason, with Keuchel coming in at No. 4 on Fangraphs’ top 50, while Kimbrel was ranked 12th.
Keuchel is a two-time All-Star who won the AL Cy Young Award in 2015. Last season, he went 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA for the Astros while reaching the 200 innings mark for the third time in his career. Kimbrel is a seven-time All-Star who has compiled 333 saves and a 1.91 ERA over the course of his career. Last season, he recorded 42 saves and a 2.74 ERA for the Boston Red Sox.