Hours before the Cubs’ 8-1 victory over the Angels on Monday afternoon, a Cubs pitcher walked into the clubhouse and noticed a scrum of reporters crowding a players’ locker.
“We sign [Craig] Kimbrel yet?” he cracked as he walked past the group.
Not exactly.
The Cubs are expected to be a player at the fringes of this week’s pursuit of the free agent closer, whose market was unleashed when draft-pick compensation was removed from process with the start of this week’s draft.
Whatever happens with Kimbrel, the Cubs on this day were content to embrace the return to form – and results – of their ace starter, Jon Lester, who snapped a streak of three short, brutish starts.