Report: Cubs pushing hard for closer Craig Kimbrel

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The Cubs got good news on their bullpen Tuesday as they activated relief ace Pedro Strop from the injured list and more positive vibes followed Wednesday morning.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported the Cubs are "pushing hard" for Craig Kimbrel:

MLB Network's Jon Heyman later confirmed:

That's not to say the Cubs are a lock to get the free agent closer, but the fact they're going hard after him must be music to the ears of the fans who have watched as the bullpen blew 11 saves in the first two months of the season. 

With the MLB Draft kicking off Monday, the draft pick compensation and subsequent loss of bonus pool money that was attached to Kimbrel's free agent status is no longer applicable, so the 31-year-old right-hander has no restrictions.

After a tough road trip, the Cubs have won back-to-back games and are now tied with the Brewers atop the NL Central. The Cubs also have the second-best run differential in the NL (+56, behind only the Dodgers' +105), but their clear weakness all season has been a shutdown bullpen. No team is going to have a 0.00 ERA from their relievers, but the Cubs could easily have a handful more wins right now if their bullpen was better able to hold onto leads.

We saw the impact Strop's return had on the bullpen Tuesday night. After missing the last month with a hamstring strain, Strop returned and picked up the save in a perfect ninth inning. That alone was a welcome sight for the Cubs, but it also pushed interim closer Steve Cishek into a setup role, as he pitched a scoreless eighth inning to bridge the gap between the starter (Kyle Hendricks went 7 innings) and Strop. 

With the addition of just one guy, the Cubs bullpen suddenly looked stronger and deeper.

"It was wonderful," Joe Maddon said. "Formulaic wins are always the most fun — when it just goes according to plan. And that's kinda what happened tonight. But in the age of the opener, when you get starters that go 7, that really makes for a good bullpen."

Imagine what a guy like Kimbrel could do for the Cubs bullpen — it could push Strop to the eighth inning role and then Cishek, Brandon Kintzler and Brad Brach are available for earlier in the game and suddenly, Maddon is able to work backwards from the ninth inning on.

This year's Cubs team certainly has all the makings of a championship contender and fortifying the biggest weakness would only bolster that claim. That's especially true if it's a guy like Kimbrel the Cubs can add, as it costs only money (not top prospects in a trade) and he is arguably the best closer in the game right now (1.91 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 14.7 K/9 in his career).

More good news for the Cubs: MLB Network's Jon Morosi said the Atlanta Braves — the team Kimbrel was drafted by and came up with — are not among the finalists for the free agent closer:

There are still a number of teams that are expected to be in the Kimbrel sweepstakes — the Twins, Brewers, Phillies and maybe even the Cardinals — but with Kimbrel's former teams (Braves and the Red Sox have not been linked) out of the running, that's not a bad thing for Theo Epstein's pursuit.

The question now is how much money and how many years it would take to sign Kimbrel. The Cubs had financial constraints all winter, but they could save some money with Ben Zobrist on the restricted list and they always set aside some funds for in-season acquisitions. 

Stay plugged into NBC Sports Chicago and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest surrounding Craig Kimbrel's potential deal with the Cubs.

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