Nats' Doolittle wants Kimbrel: 'I love closing. But I love winning more'

Current Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle would embrace Craig Kimbrel if the team decides to sign the seven-time All-Star.

After hearing rumors that Washington might be interested in Kimbrel - a free agent and one of the game's top closers - Doolittle approached his manager to express interest in the potential addition.

"I went into Davey Martinez’s office and said, 'I have an empty locker next to me, right between me and Trevor Rosenthal,'" Doolittle told Thomas Boswell of The Washington Post. "If we get (Kimbrel), I would be the first guy at the door to welcome him."

"I told Davey that I had some incentives in my contract (for saves), but a World Series check goes a long way," Doolittle added. "I love closing. But I love winning more."

Adding Kimbrel and his 333 career saves would likely give Washington one of baseball's top bullpens. For his part, Doolittle posted strong numbers in 2018 while saving 25 games, and the unit also includes Rosenthal and offseason trade acquisition Kyle Barraclough.

"We do feel like we have three closers now," Doolittle said, referring to himself, Rosenthal, and Barraclough. "But you can never have too many weapons at the back end of the game."

The Nationals have been linked to Kimbrel, but are reportedly unwilling to exceed the luxury-tax threshold to acquire him.

Additionally, Kimbrel has reportedly drawn interest from the Atlanta Braves while maintaining contact with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Meanwhile, the chances of the Boston Red Sox, who employed Kimbrel over the past three seasons, re-signing the hard-throwing righty are "extremely unlikely," according to team chairman Tom Werner.