With Kimbrel gone, here's what NL contenders need

In a crowded National League postseason chase, the Cubs struck a big blow Wednesday, agreeing to a three-year deal with seven-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel.

For Chicago, it was an obvious fit. The Cubs entered the day ranked second in the NL in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, fourth in defensive WAR (per FanGraphs) and third in park-adjusted starting rotation ERA. On the other hand, their bullpen ranked 12th in the NL in park-adjusted ERA, while their 11 blown saves were third most. (The 12th blown save came Wednesday, along with five runs allowed, in a win over the Rockies.)

With would-be closer Brandon Morrow on the injured list and yet to make his season debut, the Cubs had a clear weakness. And now they have addressed it with Kimbrel, one of the most dominant closers in baseball history.

Kimbrel did exhibit a few warning signs last season in Boston, including a surging walk rate, and it remains to be seen if his delayed start to the season will hinder him. But if the righty pitches like he is capable of doing, he will bolster a Cubs relief corps that also features Pedro Strop (just back from the IL), Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler and Brad Brach, among others.

Kimbrel represents one big piece off the board. But in an NL playoff picture in which just two teams (the Giants and Marlins) are more than five games out of a Wild Card spot, there is no shortage of clubs that still could use an upgrade somewhere.

Here is a breakdown of the needs facing each of those NL contenders, and a look at possible solutions.

BULLPEN

Braves: Kimbrel's original team had seemed like a good fit for him again, with Arodys Vizcaino lost for the season (then traded to Seattle), A.J. Minter sent back to the Minors and other relievers also struggling. Atlanta's bullpen entered Wednesday with the highest park-adjusted FIP in the NL.

Dodgers: Closer Kenley Jansen no longer looks like quite the same dominant force he was for much of this decade, though he still is 18-for-20 in save chances and racking up plenty of strikeouts. The bigger issue is that free-agent acquisition Joe Kelly has not been anything like the pitcher who dominated the Dodgers in last year's World Series.

Mets: They already made a huge bullpen move in the offseason, trading for Edwin Diaz. And yet, Mets relievers have an ERA over 5.00. Of the nine pitchers to come out of the 'pen more than five times for the club this season, only Diaz and Seth Lugo have an ERA below 4.75. No MLB team has more blown saves (14).

Nationals: The Nats' woes in this area have been well documented, with Trea Turner's walk-off homer Wednesday afternoon saving the club from yet another bullpen-induced defeat. Washington's 6.68 relief ERA is MLB's highest, with basically every bullpen arm aside from closer Sean Doolittle struggling mightily.

Phillies: Their recent acquisition of outfielder Jay Bruce proved prescient when Andrew McCutchen went down with a season-ending injury. But will the Phillies respond to the injuries in their bullpen? Seranthony Dominguez left Wednesday's game with an elbow injury, while David Robertson, Pat Neshek, Adam Morgan and others already are on the IL.

Pirates: Felipe Vazquez is one of the game's top closers. But the Bucs have struggled to get consistent production from the rest of the unit, which has an ERA over 5.00. No NL team has used more relievers this season (18).

Possible targets: The Giants could draw a lot of interest in their relievers, including lefties Will Smith and Tony Watson and righty Sam Dyson. While the Indians and White Sox are currently in the AL Wild Card picture, closers Brad Hand (Cleveland) and Alex Colome (Chicago) would figure to be attractive options should that change. Fellow AL Central closer Shane Greene (Detroit) is another pitcher to keep an eye on, and Kansas City's Ian Kennedy has seen his strikeout rate shoot up with a move to the bullpen. Ken Giles has enjoyed a resurgent season as Toronto's closer and perhaps will find himself on the move again.

ROTATION

Brewers: This group has a 4.66 ERA after Jimmy Nelson made a rough return to the Majors on Wednesday against Miami. Despite stellar work from Zach Davies and Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee has had trouble filling out its starting staff, and Jhoulys Chacin and Gio Gonzalez are now on the IL.

Cardinals: Without the services of Carlos Martinez, their starters are last in the NL in strikeout rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio, and second to last in park-adjusted FIP. Michael Wacha was recently demoted to the bullpen, and Miles Mikolas has been unable to repeat his breakout 2018 performance.

D-backs: While this unit has outperformed the club's bullpen thus far, the recent arm injury to Luke Weaver was a big blow. Arizona is a bit thin behind Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray, especially with Zack Godley pitching his way out of the rotation and Taijuan Walker hitting a setback in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

Possible targets: Kimbrel is off the board, but the offseason's other major unsigned free agent remains available. That would be left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who also figures to find a home soon, although none of these clubs are said to be among the favorites. Another lefty, Madison Bumgarner, may be this summer's most sought-after trade piece -- and a better fit among this group. Righties Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez of the Blue Jays are two more names to watch, and Rangers lefty Mike Minor's terrific season would be sure to draw lots of interest if Texas' own postseason pursuit stalls.

LINEUP

Padres: San Diego entered Wednesday ranked 23rd in the Majors in wRC+ and 25th in runs per game, hindered by MLB's highest strikeout rate. The pending IL returns of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Franchy Cordero could prove to be the shot in the arm that the club needs, but that might not be enough.

Reds: In a significant turnaround from recent seasons, Cincinnati's pitching has been sound. But among NL teams, only the Giants and Marlins have a lower wRC+ or a lower collective WAR from their position players. Aside from Eugenio Suarez and breakout star Derek Dietrich, no Reds regular has been above average offensively, with Joey Votto and offseason acquisition Yasiel Puig among those struggling.

Rockies: Coors Field hides some warts. The Rockies may rank in the top five in MLB in runs per game, but their park-adjusted wRC+ puts them in the bottom half of the league, thanks to little production from first base and second base in particular. Most notably, the offseason signing of Daniel Murphy has not worked out thus far.

Possible targets: The Mariners already parted with one veteran bat in Bruce, and it could be only a matter of time before Edwin Encarnacion and his 17 home runs follow him out the door. Alex Gordon is having a nice rebound year in Kansas City, though neither party might be interested in a trade of the career-long Royal. Toronto's Justin Smoak and Detroit's Nicholas Castellanos are two more intriguing sluggers in contact years.