Threatening to sit out the season if he isn’t signed for his insanely high asking price. What a self absorbed jackass.

He will sign,just not for $11Mil. It's the Manny/Bryce dominos falling someone will pay just not 6 years 11mil a year.

He’s got plenty money. What if he just wants to turkey hunt, fish, and get ready for bow season

Yep. It’s not self-absorbed to negotiate. If he’s right, they’ll pay up, and if not, he can sit out. Fair is fair.

It is self absorbed when you threaten to take your ball and go home because you’ve gone through an entire off-season and no one will pay what you “think” you’re worth. His “threat” is simply a bargaining tool, but he isn’t the dominant closer that he once was.

It’s as self absorbed as any other private citizen that enjoys their right to work when, how, and for what they think is appropriate. I doubt anyone on this forum would be looked down on for quitting a job they thought undervalued them, or for refusing to work for something similar.

Aside from that...he MAY not be the best closer in the game anymore, but if he doesn’t sign, rest assured there will be a swarm of teams beating his doors down with sacks of money throughout the season...especially in playoff push time.

What? A veteran player. Trying to maybe get more than he’s worth for a last contract. Taking advantage of a league with no salary cap. Crazy - that’s probably never been done in baseball.

Negotiating a reasonable price and threatening a tantrum for not getting your way, with your overpriced self worth, are two completely different things. The latter makes you look like a childish, greedy prick. Sure, negotiating is a part of the game, but basically demanding to be treated like royalty rarely ever works in their favor. Papelbon thought highly of himself too and look where it got him.

Kimbrel was less than stellar all throughout the postseason and teams took note. Alex Cora went with Chris Sale, who wasn’t completely healthy, over Kimbrel because he didn’t have the confidence in Kimbrel to put him in with a 4 run lead to close out the World Series. That really screams “I’m worth my ludicrous asking price.”

Kimbrel been “shaky” the last few years.

Glad to see Kimbrel isn't backing down from what he believes he's worth.

If he gets it, good for him. If he sits out two months or five months or a year and enjoys life, good for him.

I hope he sits out, to be honest and gives the finger to MLB. No different than the NFL players. The NFL makes $9 billion a year. The owners aren't poor. Teams aren't cash-strapped. No one in the NFL offices, team offices or owners' suites are playing on the field.

Any one of us working a job making a salary would be pissed if the owner/boss said you had to take a 40 percent pay cut but work just as hard. Or if you applied for a job and they offered a third or more less than what you were making. Anyone who would agree to this is a moron.

They all make too much...I hope nobody signs him. And Manny wasn't worth what he got. Not many folks on here ever gonna afford to take the family to a Super Bowl or World Series game..

Craig is a REALLY good dude and he's a lot like us as he enjoys the outdoors as much as he does baseball; he's one of the good guys. I would imagine it would be hard to concentrate on baseball with his daughter having a heart condition, and I believe she has already had 2 open heart surgeries. I am sure he's just playing his cards right just as any one of us would if we had his talent.

Why should everyone be able to do everything?

If someone said you get paid too much "just to fish" and should lower your rates by at least half or more so Jimmy can take his two boys out, would you do it? Everything's relative in some way.

The pros get stupid money for football or baseball or soccer or hoops. But it's what the market has paid. This stuff with Kimbrel and Harper and others being unsigned or getting less money sounds like a correction of sorts in salaries. Also could be collusion of some sort since the collective bargaining agreement is coming up in, I think, three years.

I think it's this

I think it is, too, to be honest. The teams have decided -- maybe not colluded, maybe so -- that they're just not going to pay as much anymore. Attendance is down and $30 million a year maybe finally hit their "Nope" button.

I'll stick up for players trying to get what they think is their max worth. They're the ones on the field. It's stupid money, sure, and we little people can't relate. But I'll not begrudge a pro athlete or CEO or Joe Average Guy trying to get the most they can.

I've never heard anyone say, "Oh, I'm worth FAR more than what they're paying me but y'know, my salary is enough." That's idiotic. Anyone who would do that, to me, is a moron.

But yeah, I think it's a market correction of some sort despite Manny getting his fat payday.

The key is that it’s what players “think” they’re worth. Did it ever occur to them that maybe they’re getting less money because they’re now worth less money?

A guy who’s main forte is to throw it absolutely as hard as he can, every single pitch, isn’t known for longevity, even in a closer role. Kimbrel is on the backside of his career. He isn’t what he was five years ago and what he is paid will reflect that.
Sitting out a year sure wouldn’t help his stock. In fact, it would be borderline career suicide.

I like Kimbrel as a player. Honestly, I’d be happy to see him pull a Brian McCann and finish up his career in ATL. However, the threatening a tantrum for attention and not getting his way is childish, IMO.

I think John Smoltz did something akin to that in his later years. But he was an anomaly anyways.

Where has it been mentioned other than from you that he is throwing a "tantrum"? The only one i have seen throwing a tantrum about this is you. Why does it bother you so bad what anyone claims their worth as? I believe it is nothing but pure jealousy. You have the mindset that if you can't get paid that kind of money than nobody should.

Didn't Ueberroth rule collusion on Mattingly&Morris in the middle 80's? Supposedly Detroit would swap Jack Morris for Don Mattingly and uebie ruled that both players received "punitative damages". Think Mattingly got $8 millon&Morris some kinda deferred compensation,but I'm not sure.

It’s called conversation and opinion, genius. I guess I could ask you the same? Why does it bother you so bad what I think. However, I really couldn’t care less.