It’s no secret I was adamantly opposed to picking up Kimbrel’s option. My feeling was that Rick Hahn risked getting stuck with his onerous contract, sinking huge money into a relatively well-constructed bullpen when massive roster holes existed at multiple positions. This is before even taking into consideration that, for half of the last three seasons, Kimbrel’s been pretty bad, particularly in his half-season on the South Side.
But here we are, and when life gives you poop, you make poopade. In an attempt to get a winning deal out of The Immovable Object without getting too optimistic about what teams are willing to part with to get him, let’s look at some relief-needy teams who have some expendable pieces that fit with us.