If Joe Maddon wants the Chicago Cubs to get him Craig Kimbrel, he isn’t being overt about it.
Amid reports that the Cubs have explored the possibility of signing Kimbrel, Maddon said Sunday he has had “zero” discussions with the team’s front office about making the move to bolster Chicago’s struggling bullpen.
“It’s easy for me to say zero, because it’s true,” Maddon said, via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. “They could be [discussing it in the front office], absolutely. But, I have not had that discussion. Really, I don’t get involved in that a whole lot. … In situations like this, our guys are pretty aware. They don’t need to know what I think on that one.”
For Maddon, it’s pretty obvious: of course he’d love to have Kimbrel at the back of his bullpen. He doesn’t sound intent on forcing the issue, though. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the help may not be immediate, even if Chicago were to ink Kimbrel tomorrow.
