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StatsYahoo Red Sox NewsYahoo Red Sox Team PageYahoo Red Sox ReportYahoo Red Sox Depth ChartYahoo Red Sox TransactionsYahoo Red Sox PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昅LB RoundupMLB Roundup 3/21: Brewers in “serious” talks with Craig KimbrelThe saga may be overEDTShareTweetShareShareMLB Roundup 3/21: Brewers in “serious” talks with Craig KimbrelRichard Mackson-USA TODAY SportsBrewers in “serious” talks with Craig KimbrelIt has been clear for months that the Red Sox were never going to seriously consider re-signing Craig Kimbrel Brian Roberts Jersey , which you probably know I’m not crazy about. I’m also an incredible stubborn and, some may say, dumb person, and because of that I’ve convinced myself that the Red Sox will sneak in at the last second. Since the future Hall of Fame closer is still on the market, I’ve had a long time to convince myself of this falsehood. Fortunately, it seems like I may be able to stop that nonsense soon, as the Brewers have emerged as serious suitors for Kimbrel. Milwaukee has been one of the most aggressive teams in acquiring top-level talent over the last couple of years, and given the competitiveness we expect from the NL Central this year any addition to their club would make sense. Starting pitching is more of a concern for the Brewers than their bullpen, which is one of the best in baseball Thurman Munson Jersey , but adding someone like Kimbrel shouldn’t hurt any roster. Having a back-end of Kimbrel, Josh Hader and Corey Knebel would give Milwaukee a huge advantage in any game they lead.Eloy Jim茅nez agrees to record-setting extensionThe extension parade kept on rolling into Wednesday, with one of the most prized young talents in the league signing an unprecedented deal. Eloy Jim茅nez gets lost in the shuffle a bit among major-league ready American League prospects because of the massive shadow cast by Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s talent. Jim茅nez would be the prohibitive Rookie of the Year favorite in most every other year, though, and one of the big potential stories of spring was how his service time was going to be manipulated. It seems that won’t be happening anymore, as the top prospect agreed to a six-year deal worth $43 million with two club options that could bring the overall value to $77 million. It is the most money ever given to a player with zero service that was previously in the organization. At first glance it may seem wild for a club to commit so much to a player they’ve never seen, but there is very little risk for teams in these deals. It’s obviously a bigger drop in the bucket than a deal like Jon Singleton’s a few years ago, but the White Sox can eat $43 million without much issue if Jim茅nez doesn’t pan out. On the other hand, if he hits as well as most evaluators anticipate he’ll be one of the biggest bargains in baseball. The other part of this is the awkward decision for the White Sox on whether they keep Jim茅nez down to start the year or admit sending him down was all about service time. We all know that was the case Jorge Posada Jersey , but they may not be willing to admit it so emphatically. WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals were expected to be in the midst of a pennant race as August wound down. Instead it is the Milwaukee Brewers who are in the running for a playoff spot.More Brewers coverageBrewers Final Pitch: Chacin dominates mound in Game 3 of NLCSChacin, Brewers blank Dodgers to take 2-1 lead in NLCSDespite struggles, No. 23 Badgers still have hope in Big TenStrong winds could be factor for Brewers, Dodgers in NLCS Game 3Photos of the Week: 10/7/18 – 10/13/18Milwaukee comes to Washington for three games beginning Friday after beating the Cincinnati Reds for the second straight day on Thursday.The Brewers (75-60) got a Lorenzo Cain homer in the 11th inning for a 2-1 win that left them a half-game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the top wild-card spot in the National League. Milwaukee is five games behind first-place Chicago in the National League Central.Thursday’s win followed Milwaukee’s 13-12 victory in a 10-inning slugfest on Wednesday night.“I think the offense looked tired,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell told mlb.com after Thursday’s win, “but you grind through it and you play good defense. We made pitches and Lo Cain got the big hit.”Washington (67-67) begins a 10-game homestand against NL Central entries Milwaukee, St. Louis and Chicago while trying to remain in the playoff hunt coming off a 3-3 road trip. The Nationals are 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Braves in the NL East and nearly as far back in the wild-card race with four teams ahead of them for the No. 2 spot.Brewers right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (13-5, 3.61 ERA) opposes right-hander Tanner Roark (8-13, 3.95) in Friday’s opener.Roark has been a different pitcher since the All-Star break http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , stepping up when the Nationals needed someone to back up ace Max Scherzer. Roark is 5-1 with a 1.61 ERA in his last seven starts. During that stretch, he has struck out 37 batters and walked five.“You really just feel unhittable,” a grinning Roark recently told the Washington Post. “You feel like each pitch that you’re about to throw is untouchable, and that’s what you want as a pitcher.”He started that streak in Milwaukee when he blanked the Brewers for eight innings in a July 25 win. Roark struck out 11 and walked only one.Last time out he was an unlucky loser against the Mets, allowing one run and four hits in six innings of a 3-0 Mets win.Roark entered the All-Star break 3-12 — winless since June 6 — with a 4.87 ERA.“It’s been awesome,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told the Post regarding Roark’s sharp turnaround. “Every time he goes out there we have a chance to win ballgames.”Roark is 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) in his career versus the Brewers.Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich is 9-for-36 (.250) against Roark. Jonathan Schoop is 2-for-4 and both hits are homers.Chacin has also enjoyed a strong August. After allowing eight earned runs to the Dodgers on Aug. 2, he has surrendered just six earned runs while going 3-1 over his last four starts.“We talked in spring training that once Yelich and Cain came aboard, we kind of forgot about Chac铆n, and how important he can be Johnny Damon Jersey ,” Counsell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He’s ended up being really important.”The Brewers are 19-9 in games Chacin has started. He’s coming off a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he gave up three earned runs in six innings.Chacin beat the Nationals on July 23. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing a run and two hits while striking out nine without a walk. In his career, he’s 4-2 with a 3.06 ERA in nine starts against Washington.Anthony Rendon is 4-for-14 (.286) versus Chacin, and Adam Eaton is 3-or-11 (.273) and Bryce Harper 0-for-6.