Rays Sign Craig Kimbrel
2:30pm: The Rays have officially announced Kimbrel’s signing. In a corresponding active roster move, right-hander Jesse Scholtens has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right wrist strain.
11:36am: Veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel is heading to the Rays on a major league deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Kimbrel was designated for assignment by the Mets last week and elected free agency. The 37-year-old is represented by SportsMeter.
The Rays have yet to announce the move. The club has multiple openings on its 40-man roster, so no tweak will be needed there. Kimbrel is expected to be available for tonight’s game against the Orioles, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
The Mets added Kimbrel on a minor league deal in January. He failed to break camp with the team, but was called up in early April. The right-hander didn’t allow an earned run over his first four appearances in New York. He has struggled recently, permitting seven earned runs over 9 2/3 innings in May. He covered 2 2/3 frames on Wednesday, ceding two earned runs. The Mets DFAed him on Friday.
The well-traveled Kimbrel will have appeared with 11 MLB teams once he gets into a game with the Rays. Tonight could be considered a revenge game for the righty, but he’s pitched for three other clubs since his 2024 stint in Baltimore. Kimbrel put himself back on the big-league map to close 2025. He opened the year with the Braves, but only threw an inning in the majors. The veteran bounced to the Rangers, then landed in Houston. Kimbrel put together 13 solid appearances with the Astros, posting a 2.45 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout rate.
Tampa Bay lost Pete Fairbanks to free agency and Edwin Uceta to a shoulder injury heading into 2026. Griffin Jax got the first crack at the vacated closer role, but faltered. He’s now being stretched out as a starter. Bryan Baker has assumed the 9th-inning gig and performed quite well. The former Oriole has piled up 14 saves through 24 appearances. He’s been scored upon just twice in May. Kimbrel and his 440 career saves are unlikely to unseat Baker anytime soon.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Craig Kimbrel Elects Free Agency
Craig Kimbrel has elected free agency, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. The Mets designated the right-hander for assignment last week, and he passed through outright waivers unclaimed. The nine-time All-Star is now free to look to continue his career elsewhere.
Kimbrel will turn 38 later this week, and he no longer has the dominant strikeout stuff he once possessed. His fastball, which used to touch triple digits, now averages 93.6 mph. His curveball doesn’t miss bats the way it did for so many years. While he has diversified his arsenal to try to compensate, there’s no denying that his best days are behind him. Nonetheless, he has shown a clear desire to prolong his career. Since being released by the Orioles in September 2024, he has signed deals with the Braves, Rangers, Astros, and Mets. He hasn’t been afraid to pitch in the minor leagues if it means another shot to prove he’s still worthy of the majors.
To Kimbrel’s credit, he has never stopped showing signs of promise, even if there have been more downs than ups the past few years. Despite his 5.33 ERA in 2024 and his 6.00 ERA this year with the Mets, he owns a 4.28 xERA and a 3.51 SIERA over the last three seasons, thanks to solid strikeout numbers and a continued ability to suppress hard contact. Although his present-day arsenal might look disappointing compared to his vintage self, he still has better stuff than most pitchers you’ll find in Triple-A. So, while Kimbrel might never have another chance to add to his career saves total (440, fifth all-time), he should be able to find another club willing to give him a chance on a minor league contract.
Mets Designate Craig Kimbrel For Assignment, Recall Jonah Tong
The Mets announced that they have recalled right-hander Jonah Tong from Triple-A Syracuse. In a corresponding move, fellow right-hander Craig Kimbrel has been designated for assignment.
Kimbrel, 38 next week, is one of the best closers of this generation but has been more of a fringe reliever in recent years. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Mets coming into 2026, though one that would pay him $2.5MM if he had his contract selected. He was added to the roster a couple of weeks into the season. He has tossed 15 innings for the Mets since then but has allowed 10 earned runs for a flat earned run average of 6.00.
That probably overstates how poorly he has pitched this year. His 23.4% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate are both right around league average. His .325 batting average on balls in play and 56.2% strand rate are both to the unfortunate side, as is his 15.8% home run to fly ball ratio. Measures like his 4.90 FIP and 3.76 SIERA suggest he has deserved better in that relatively small sample.
Regardless of what he deserved, the results were enough for the Mets to move on. The club has seemingly been leaning into a youth movement of sorts lately. In the past month or so, they have let go of veteran guys like Tommy Pham, Andy Ibáñez and Austin Slater while calling up A.J. Ewing, Nick Morabito, Zach Thornton and now Tong.
Kimbrel will head into DFA limbo. The Mets could explore trade interest but it may be hard to line up a deal for a pitcher in his late 30s with an ERA of 6.00 who is making a few million, no matter the track record. It is perhaps more likely that he is placed on waivers and clears, leaving the Mets on the hook for the remainder of the money.
If that comes to pass, clubs would then become more interested. They would then be able to sign Kimbrel and would only owe him the prorated portion of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. Though his ERA is high, as mentioned, some of the underlying numbers are a bit more encouraging. Between that and his career track record, perhaps some club would take a shot when the cost is so low.
As for Tong, it’s unclear what role he will play on the club. He has been starting in Triple-A this year but has a 5.68 ERA. The big league rotation just lost Clay Holmes to the injured list. A fractured fibula is going to keep him out for a few months. Tobias Myers is starting today. He has starting experience but hasn’t had an outing of longer than two innings in the past three weeks, so he surely won’t be going deep into the game. Sean Manaea is capable of working long relief but Tong could give the Mets another option in that department.
This may just be a spot start for Myers or he could perhaps earn a longer look in the rotation. Four spots are currently taken by Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and David Peterson. Thornton came up and made his debut this week but allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Peterson has an ERA north of 5.00 and may not be guaranteed anything going forward.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Mets Designate Richard Lovelady For Assignment
The Mets announced that Craig Kimbrel‘s minor league contract has been selected to the active roster, as reported earlier today. To create space on the 26-man roster, the Mets have designated left-hander Richard Lovelady.
This is the ninth time Lovelady has been DFA’ed in his career, with five of those transactions coming from the Mets in a relationship that began when New York first signed the lefty to a big league deal last June. Lovelady is out of minor league options, which is why the Mets and other teams have had to first expose him to waivers before outrighting him off a 40-man roster.
During the offseason, the Mets signed Lovelady to a split contract that pays him $1MM when on an active roster, and $350K while in the minor leagues. Lovelady would have to give up this guaranteed salary if he clears waivers and declines an outright assignment in favor of free agency, which makes it more likely that he’ll stick around in the Mets organization. It shouldn’t be assumed that Lovelady will clear waivers, however. The Nationals claimed the southpaw last January after the Mets’ last DFA, but New York then claimed him back in March after the Nats also designated Lovelady for assignment.
After all of these comings and goings, Lovelady made the Amazins’ Opening Day roster and at least got himself a few weeks of time in the bigs. Lovelady has a 3.68 ERA and a 54.5% grounder rate over 7 1/3 innings and six appearances for New York this season, with a modest 18.8% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate. Most of the damage (.958 OPS) has come from right-handed batters, while Lovelady has limited left-handed batters to a .545 OPS.
Lovelady’s career splits are pronounced enough that it is worth wondering if he came along in the wrong time — Lovelady made his MLB debut a season before the league instituted the three-batter rule, basically ending the era of the lefty specialist. The Mets clearly like what Lovelady offers as a depth arm for their ever-rotating bullpen, even if the team perpetually views him as an expendable roster piece.
Mets To Select Craig Kimbrel’s Contract
Craig Kimbrel is returning to the big leagues, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Mets will be selecting the veteran reliever’s contract. The Mets have two open spots on their 40-man roster, but will need to make a corresponding transaction to create space for Kimbrel on the 26-man active roster.
As per the terms of the minor league contract Kimbrel signed in January, the SportsMeter client will now earn $2.5MM by being added to the active roster. Kimbrel had more than enough service time to qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent, and thus his minors deal contained three built-in opt-out dates (five days before Opening Day, May 1, June 1). While New York didn’t include Kimbrel on its Opening Day roster, Kimbrel agreed to pass on his first opt-out opportunity and bide his time in the minors, which consisted of a single inning of work for the Mets’ A-level affiliate in St. Lucie.
Forty-six different players pitched for the Mets in 2025. That eye-popping number reflects both the team’s injury problems last year, and the Mets’ habit of cycling fresh arms up into the bullpen from Triple-A, and sending other relievers either to the minors (if they have options) or to DFA limbo.
Huascar Brazoban and Tobias Myers are the only pitchers in New York’s current bullpen who have minor league options remaining, and Myers tossed 36 pitches last night in a long relief outing after starter Clay Holmes left due to hamstring tightness. If Myers isn’t sent down, Richard Lovelady could be a candidate to be designated for assignment to make way for Kimbrel.
Once Kimbrel makes an in-game appearance for the Mets, it will officially make it 10 different teams over 17 Major League seasons during the reliever’s storied career. A nine-time All-Star and the owner of 440 career saves, Kimbrel has still managed to show some flashes of his prime form in recent years, but he has had trouble sustaining solid results over a full season. Pitching with the Dodgers in 2022, Kimbrel struggled later in the year and ended up both losing the closer’s job and being left off Los Angeles’ playoff roster entirely. A rough 5.33 ERA season with the Orioles in 2024 resulted in Kimbrel being designated for assignment and released before the end of September.
The 2025 campaign saw Kimbrel sign with the Braves and Rangers on minor league contracts, and with the Astros on a big league contract in August after Texas released him. Kimbrel posted a 2.25 ERA and 34.7% strikeout rate over 12 innings in the majors with Houston and Atlanta, but with a gaudy 14.3% walk rate.
Control has been Kimbrel’s largest issue over the back half of his career, and he has also been much more homer-prone than during his All-Star heyday. Kimbrel’s fastball averaged a modest 93.5mph over his 12-inning sample size in 2025, but he has adjusted his repertoire by incorporating a changeup and slider more frequently into his arsenal.
It remains to be seen what Kimbrel still has in the tank as he approaches his 38th birthday next month, or if the Mets’ pitching development staff has perhaps found a fix to help the righty recapture some of his past magic. Devin Williams is firmly locked into the closer role, so Kimbrel won’t likely be garnering many save opportunities.
Given the nature of the Mets’ bullpen churn, it is an open question as to how long Kimbrel might even remain on the active roster. The $2.5MM salary does represent some extra level of commitment, and Kimbrel’s selection adds another boost to the Mets’ already sky-high payroll. Because the Mets have been luxury-tax payors for four years running and are already far over the highest level of luxury tax penalization, Kimbrel’s $2.5MM salary also comes with an additional $2.75MM tax bill.
Craig Kimbrel To Forgo Opt-Out, Stay With Mets
March 23: Kimbrel will forgo his first opt-out opportunity and remain with the Mets for the time being, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
March 22: Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told the media (including SNY TV) that veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel was told that he won’t be breaking camp with the team. An Article XX(B) free agent, Kimbrel had the chance to trigger the first of three opt-out dates in his minor league contract this weekend, and Mendoza’s comments seemingly indicate that the right-hander hasn’t exercised an out clause, as Kimbrel is considering staying in the organization.
“Now he is deciding whether he wants to stay, which looks like he’s leaning that way,” Mendoza said. “He likes it here, he wants to win, but he also is going to look around for opportunities. But there’s a good chance he stays back here in Florida, to continue to pitch and [wait] until the opportunity presents.”
Kimbrel has a 4.50 ERA over six Grapefruit League innings for the Mets, with five walks and five strikeouts. It wasn’t the kind of performance that would help what was already something of a longshot bid to make New York’s roster, and it could be that Kimbrel is fine pitching in the minors for now. Given how the Mets cycled through an endless amount of relievers last season, Kimbrel may figure it won’t be too long before he is needed in Queens, even if his call-up would come with the added wrinkle of a contract selection to the 40-man roster.
Making the Mets’ roster would also guarantee a $2.5MM salary for Kimbrel, and since New York is over the highest level of luxury tax penalization, the Mets would pay more than double that amount in additional taxes. While money isn’t exactly a top concern for the big-spending Mets, it isn’t absolutely no concern, and the front office may feel a reliever on a minimum salary is a better investment both financially and results-wise than what Kimbrel can offer at age 37.
Kimbrel has been bouncing around the league for the last few years, showing some flashes of his old All-Star form but without much consistency. In 2025, Kimbrel had a 2.25 ERA and a 34.7% strikeout rate over 12 innings with the Braves and Astros, but with a hefty 14.3% walk rate as well. Control has been an issue for Kimbrel even during his prime years, and he has also been hurt by an increased tendency to allow home runs.
There could still be a market elsewhere for Kimbrel’s services, if another team feels he still has something in the rank. Mendoza noted that playing for a contender seems to be a priority for Kimbrel, so he might not want to sign with just any team if he does re-enter the open market.
Mets To Sign Craig Kimbrel To Minor League Deal
The Mets are expected to sign reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The agreement includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. Kimbrel will earn a $2.5MM base salary if he makes the team, notes Will Sammon of The Athletic. The veteran right-hander is represented by SportsMeter.
Kimbrel returned to the Braves on a minor league deal last season, but only made one appearance with the team. He latched on with the Rangers for a bit before landing in Houston. Kimbrel turned back the clock with the Astros, posting a 2.25 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout rate over 11 innings. He went back on the market at the conclusion of the season.
The 2025 campaign was Kimbrel’s first without an MLB save in his illustrious 16-year career. It ended a streak of four straight seasons with 20+ saves, an impressive run for a reliever in his mid-30s. He ranks fifth on the all-time saves leaderboard. Kimbrel’s legendary career hit a snag in 2024, when he stumbled to a 5.33 ERA across 57 appearances in Baltimore. He coughed up the closer’s role midway through the year and was released before the season ended. Kimbrel didn’t draw much attention on the market heading into this past season, as he didn’t sign with the Braves until the final week of Spring Training.
If Kimbrel gets into a game with the Mets, they’ll be his 10th MLB club. He’s pitched for seven different teams since 2021. Kimbrel has relied on a fastball/curveball combo to put together one of the most decorated reliever careers this century. The nine-time All-Star has a stellar 2.29 SIERA and a massive 38.8% strikeout rate at the big-league level.
Kimbrel’s lengthy track record includes a handful of disastrous stretches after he entered his 30s. He came to the Cubs in 2019 and scuffled to a 6.53 ERA in 20 2/3 innings. He put up a 5.09 ERA in the second half of 2021 with the White Sox, who acquired him at the trade deadline from the cross-town rival Cubs. There was the aforementioned season with Baltimore, which led to mostly minor league work in 2025. Kimbrel has often recovered from these ruts, and he did show glimpses of his old self last year.
Kimbrel made an All-Star team as recently as 2023 with the Phillies. The 37-year-old has lost a few ticks on his fastball since then, but he still got whiffs at a near-30% clip last season. Free passes were the big issue with the Orioles, as Kimbrel struggled to a 13.4% walk rate. That number remained high (14.3%) in his brief stint with the Astros.
Given the landing spot, Kimbrel will have a tough time adding to his 440 career saves. New York brought in Devin Williams to serve as closer, then added Luke Weaver to be the primary setup man. A.J. Minter should be back at some point to operate as the left-handed setup option. It’ll be a difficult depth chart for Kimbrel to climb, even if he makes the team. Kenley Jansen and his 476 saves are probably safe at fourth on the leaderboard.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Astros Sign Craig Kimbrel
August 22: Houston finalized their one-year deal with Kimbrel this afternoon. They also activated Lance McCullers Jr. from the 15-day injured list to start tonight’s game in Baltimore. They cleared active roster space by optioning rookie Logan VanWey to Triple-A and placing southpaw Bennett Sousa on the 15-day injured list. Brandon Walter, who has been out for a month with elbow inflammation, was moved to the 60-day IL in the necessary 40-man move.
Sousa is dealing with elbow inflammation himself. Manager Joe Espada said Sousa reported discomfort after Tuesday’s appearance and has not progressed as hoped. He’s flying back to Houston for further evaluation while the team continues its road trip (link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic).
August 21: The Astros are in agreement with Craig Kimbrel on a major league contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The SportsMeter client was just granted his release from a minor league deal with Texas, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Houston will need to create space on both the active and 40-man rosters.
Kimbrel spent a little more than two months in Triple-A with Texas. He signed in June one day after electing free agency from the Braves. That followed a bizarre sequence in which Kimbrel’s initial team called him up for one day. The nine-time All-Star labored through a scoreless inning in his lone appearance. That remains his only MLB outing this season. Kimbrel has otherwise divided the year between the upper minors affiliates of Atlanta and Texas.
Between the two organizations, Kimbrel carries a flat 3.00 earned run average in 39 minor league innings. He has recorded an excellent 31.5% strikeout percentage but has walked nearly 13% of batters faced. It’s a similar profile as Kimbrel has shown in the big leagues in recent seasons. He had a strikeout rate in the 31-34% range while issuing free passes between 10-13% of the time in both 2023 and ’24. Kimbrel remained effective with the Orioles in the first half of the ’24 season, but he melted down after the All-Star Break (20 earned runs in 17 innings) and has barely gotten an MLB look since then.
While the Triple-A results are solid, Kimbrel’s raw stuff hasn’t been as sharp this year. His fastball has been in the 92-93 MPH range in Triple-A; he averaged less than 92 on the heater in his only big league outing. He’d sat closer to 94 last year and was up to 96 as recently as 2023. He missed enough bats against minor league hitters to intrigue the Astros, whose bullpen has struggled of late.
Only the Rockies, Blue Jays and Nationals have a higher bullpen ERA than Houston does over the past month. The Astros lost Josh Hader for at least the remainder of the regular season to a capsule strain in his shoulder. Bryan Abreu is an elite back-end arm in his own right, and they have a strong left-handed trio of Steven Okert, Bryan King and Bennett Sousa. Abreu is essentially their only reliable righty reliever. Kimbrel’s command makes him a volatile bullpen piece as well, but he has more swing-and-miss upside than Enyel De Los Santos or Shawn Dubin provide in the middle innings.
The signing is expected to become official on Friday. Getting the deal done before September 1 means Kimbrel will be eligible for postseason play if the Astros qualify. He’ll have a little over five weeks of regular season action to convince the front office and coaching staff he’s worth carrying in October. Houston leads the Mariners by 1.5 games in the AL West. They’re 3.5 games clear of the Royals, the top team that is not currently in playoff position.
Image courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images.
Rangers To Sign Craig Kimbrel To Minor League Deal
The Rangers are signing right-hander Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The righty elected free agency yesterday after Atlanta passed him through waivers unclaimed.
Kimbrel, 37, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the middle of March. He reported to Triple-A Gwinnett and logged 18 innings with an earned run average of 2.00. His 12.9% walk rate was a bit high but he also struck out 32.9% of batters faced. Atlanta called him up a few days ago but designated him for assignment after just one appearance. He tossed one scoreless inning against the Giants, allowing one hit and surrendering one walk while striking out one opponent.
As a veteran with years of big league experience, Kimbrel has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. He did exactly that and has quickly secured this minor league deal with the Rangers.
Kimbrel’s track record is well known. He has been one of the most dominant relievers in the sport at times and is currently fifth on the all-time saves list. The bigger question is whether he can still be an effective big leaguer, as his recent track record is shaky. He had an ERA north of 5.00 in both 2019 and 2020. He got that down to more reasonable levels for the 2021-23 seasons but struggled again last year. He had a 2.80 ERA in the first half with the Orioles but was lit up for a 10.59 ERA in the second half, getting released before the season ended.
This year, any club could have given him a big league shot. It was reported that his minor league deal with Atlanta had a “rolling opt-out” that essentially allowed any club to offer him a major league role at any time. If any had done so, Atlanta would have needed to decide whether to call him up themselves. As far as we know, no club took advantage of that contract provision. Atlanta did call him up but for literally one day.
That has left him to settle for another minor league deal. He will presumably report to Triple-A Round Rock shortly and will get some work for that club as he tries to get another chance in the majors.
For the Rangers, they have been looking for cheap bullpen solutions for a long time. In the offseason, they clearly wanted to upgrade the group but also wanted to avoid the competitive balance tax. They signed Chris Martin, Hoby Milner, Luke Jackson, Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong and Luis Curvelo to major league deals, none of them worth more than $5.5MM. They also acquired Robert Garcia, who has not yet qualified for arbitration, in the deal that sent Nathaniel Lowe to the Nationals.
They are currently running a four-man rotation with Nathan Eovaldi on the injured list and Kumar Rocker recently optioned to the minors. They can have Tyler Mahle, Jack Leiter, Patrick Corbin and Jacob deGrom start the next four games but might need to do something creative by Saturday. Perhaps they will do a bullpen game or call up a minor leaguer for a spot start. Perhaps a fresh arm will be needed in the next week and Kimbrel could be that guy.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
Craig Kimbrel Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Kimbrel cleared waivers, and the Braves announced that Kimbrel elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.
JUNE 7: Craig Kimbrel‘s return to the Braves lasted just one day, as the club announced today that the veteran reliever has been designated for assignment. Left-hander Austin Cox was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Kimbrel’s place on the active roster.
Kimbrel signed a minors contract in March, providing a full-circle moment in rejoining his original organization. The story reached a pinnacle when Atlanta selected Kimbrel’s contract to the active roster yesterday, and he posted a scoreless inning in the Braves’ 5-4 loss to the Giants. It was an eventful inning, as Kimbrel allowed a hit to Heliot Ramos and a walk to Jung Hoo Lee, but Ramos was caught stealing and Kimbrel picked Lee off first base to emerge unscathed.
While it may surprise fans to see a prominent name like Kimbrel so quickly shuffled off the roster (and after a scoreless frame, no less), today’s move may reflect the reality of where the 37-year-old is at during this stage of his career. Kimbrel is, after all, coming off a rough 2024 campaign that saw him released by the Orioles in September after posting a 5.33 ERA in 52 1/3 innings. Kimbrel had a 3.10 ERA and two All-Star nods over 188 2/3 innings during the 2021-23 seasons, but he seemed to lose his effectiveness in the later stages of those three seasons or into the postseason.
That said, it isn’t as though Kimbrel doesn’t have anything left in the tank for his 16th Major League season. He posted a 2.00 ERA over 18 combined innings with Double-A Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett, with a 32.86% strikeout rate in that small sample size but also a 12.86% walk rate. Control has been a question mark for Kimbrel even in some of his best big league seasons, but a spike in his home run rate in recent years has contributed to his struggles.
Kimbrel’s minors deal with the Braves had a distinctive “rolling opt-out” clause that would’ve allowed Kimbrel to exit the deal at any point if another team offered him a spot on their Major League roster. News of this clause surfaced only a few days before Atlanta selected Kimbrel to its active roster, but obviously none of other 29 clubs felt compelled to try and lure the right-hander away beforehand. Kimbrel’s minor league contract called for a prorated $2MM salary if he was called up the active roster, so (as per The Athletic’s Dave O’Brien) the Braves will now be on the hook for roughly $25K, counting Kimbrel’s day on the active roster and however long his DFA period may last.
While Kimbrel has more than enough MLB service time to reject an outright assignment and re-enter free agency, it is possible he might accept an outright to stay with Atlanta. Staying in a familiar organization might hold more appeal for Kimbrel than re-entering the market after his long stay in free agency last winter, plus the Braves’ ever-revolving bullpen could mean that Kimbrel may get another look in the majors in relatively short order. It all depends on what Kimbrel wants to do at this point of his career, though it doesn’t appear as if retirement is in the cards.