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June 5 (UPI) -- Former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel is signing with the Chicago Cubs, league sources told ESPN and The Athletic. The All-Star closer and the Cubs agreed to a three-year, $43 million contract that runs through the 2021 season, according to ESPN. The deal is pending a physical.
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The Cubs' expected signing of Kimbrel will mark the fourth team of the reliever's career. The Atlanta Braves selected him in the third round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut with the club in May 2010.
The Braves traded Kimbrel to the San Diego Padres in April 2015. San Diego moved the relief pitcher to the Red Sox in November 2015.
Kimbrel remained with Boston until the 2018 season, when he declined the Red Sox's $17.9 million qualifying offer and entered free agency. He sat out the beginning of this season as he waited for a better deal.
Kimbrel posted a 10-1 record with a 2.07 ERA and 77 saves in 130 appearances in the last two seasons and earned All-Star votes in each campaign. He had a 2.47 ERA with 42 saves, his highest total since his final season with the Braves in 2014, in 63 outings during the 2018 campaign.
