Chicago Cubs: Craig Kimbrel could join the team by the end of the week

The Cubs bullpen has been atrocious as of late, but reinforcements might be arriving soon.

Bruce Levine, a baseball reporter for 670 The Score, was told by Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein, that recently signed closer Craig Kimbrel could be with the team by the end of the week. This is really good news for Cubs fans who have been looking for the front office to shore up its bullpen for most of the season.

If his most recent outing turns into what the Cubs have hoped for, then Kimbrel could join the club when they travel to Cincinnati on Friday evening. With a depleted bullpen, the Cubs could use all of the help that they can get.

Kimbrel signed a 3-year, $43 Million contract this season and has been preparing for his return to the majors. The addition of Kimbrel will provide the Cubs with a solution to their biggest problem, the closer.

Even with the addition of Kimbrel, the Cubs are still in the market to add more bullpen arms. The next step for them will be acquiring a left-handed reliever. There are many dangerous left-handed batters such as Christian Yelich, Bryce Harper, Cody Bellinger, and Andrew Benintendi.

Once the Cubs bullpen adds a reliable left-hander, then they are in good shape to make a deep playoff run. Although they have been struggling with their play recently, it is still early in the season to fix the issues that need to be addressed.

The Cubs have been battling many injuries and are looking to the next man up in order to provide the necessary help that they need. A struggling rotation will not help the bullpen by any means. The more strong starts that the rotation has, the better each bullpen performance will be for the Cubs.

The Cubs need seven solid arms heading into the playoffs. Kimbrel, Strop, Edwards, Ciseck, Montgomery, Chatwood, and Azolay are not enough. they’re going to need to continue to bolster the pen. Kimbrel is a start to what will become a busy trade deadline for both Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.