Washington Nationals
Much like their divisional rivals the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals could stand to make a move to upgrade their bullpen.
However, their situation is different than what the Braves are dealing with. Sean Doolittle has been a solid closer for the Nationals, but the rest of the bullpen is a question mark. Trevor Rosenthal was an excellent closer, but is coming back from Tommy John surgery. Koda Glover cannot stay healthy. Kyle Barraclough cannot be counted on to throw strikes.
Adding Kimbrel to the bullpen would certainly alleviate a number of those question marks. Doolittle himself said that he would welcome Kimbrel with open arms, and that he would be the first person to greet him if Kimbrel was to walk through the door. And the Nationals have been linked to Kimbrel recently.
My col: Sean Doolittle, after hearing Nats might be interested in free agent Craig Kimbrel, went to Nats manager Martinez and said, "I have an empty locker next to me, right between me and Trevor Rosenthal...I'd be the 1st guy at the door to welcome him.” Doo The Right Thing!
— Thomas Boswell (@ThomasBoswellWP) March 12, 2019
There are problems with such a match. The Nationals are trying to remain under the luxury tax, which would seemingly preclude them from being able to sign Kimbrel. They have also signed Tony Sipp to a one year deal, theoretically addressing their need to upgrade the bullpen. However, Sipp is a far cry from the pitcher that Kimbrel is.
Craig Kimbrel would still make sense for the Washington Nationals. The franchise just does not seem to be willing to make that move work.