Veteran Relief Pitcher Craig Kimbrel Signs With New York Mets
There is something almost poetic, and perhaps a little bit melancholic, about the trajectory of the modern closer. One minute, you are the king of the ninth inning, the lights dimming as you strike a pose that terrified batters for a decade. Next, you are fighting for a roster spot on a backfield in Florida, hoping the radar gun still pops loud enough to warrant a paycheck. This is where we find Craig Kimbrel.
The man with the iconic “scarecrow” arm hang is taking his talents to Queens. As reported by Jon Heyman, Kimbrel has agreed to a minor league deal with the New York Mets that includes an invite to Spring Training.
If he cracks the roster, the Mets will be the 10th Major League Baseball team Kimbrel has suited up for. At this point, his jersey collection is starting to look less like a Hall of Fame display and more like the inventory of a chaotic vintage sports store.
A Minor Deal For a Major Legend
On paper, seeing the name Kimbrel next to the phrase “minor league deal” feels like a glitch in the matrix. We are talking about a guy with a résumé that screams Cooperstown. He has 440 career saves. He sits fifth on the all-time list. He’s second among active players, trailing only Kenley Jansen.
But baseball is a “what have you done for me lately” business, and lately, the road has been bumpy for the 37-year-old. The Mets aren’t paying for the 2013 version of Kimbrel, who was untouchable in Atlanta. They are kicking the tires on a veteran arm that has seen some serious turbulence over the last 24 months.
There is a human element here that is easy to miss when staring at spreadsheets. It takes a specific kind of ego-checking humility for a nine-time All-Star to accept a minor league invite. It is an admission that nothing is guaranteed anymore, not even for one of the greatest to ever do it.
The Rollercoaster Ride Of Recent Years
To understand why the Mets got Kimbrel on a flyer, you have to look at the map of his last few seasons. It reads like a travel itinerary from hell.
The 2024 season was a nightmare in Baltimore, where he posted a brutal 5.33 ERA. Then came the chaotic tour of 2025. He started with a reunion in Atlanta that lasted all of one inning before he was designated for assignment. He landed with the Texas Rangers, languished in Triple-A for 24 appearances, and was released without ever throwing a pitch for the big club.
Finally, he finished the year with the Houston Astros. On the surface, his numbers there didn’t look terrible—a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings. But numbers can lie. The league-wide consensus was clear: the fear factor was gone. He wasn’t even trusted enough to make the postseason roster.
How Kimbrel Fits the Mets’ Blueprint
So, why New York? Why now? The Mets are in the middle of a fascinating bullpen reconstruction. They lost their trumpet-blaring superstar, Edwin Díaz, to the Dodgers in free agency. That leaves a massive void in the ninth inning. While the front office responded aggressively by signing Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to deals totaling $71 million, you can never have enough arms.
This is a low-risk, high-reward gamble for New York. If Kimbrel shows up to Port St. Lucie and has nothing left in the tank, the Mets cut him loose and lose nothing but a little time. But if there is even a spark of the old flame left, it is a steal.
The Mets are chasing their first NL East title since 2015. With the Phillies looking strong and the Braves always lurking, New York needs depth. They’ve added pieces like Freddy Peralta to the rotation and Bo Bichette to the infield, signaling they are in “win now” mode. A veteran like Kimbrel, who has thrown pitches in the highest-leverage situations imaginable, offers a level of experience you can’t teach young arms.
The Final Pitch
There is a distinct possibility that this is the end of the line. If Kimbrel can’t make the Mets’ roster, it’s hard to imagine many other teams lining up to give him a shot.
But there is also the romantic side of baseball that hopes for one last ride. We want to see the arm hang one more time at Citi Field. We want to see the fastball touch 96 on the black. We want to see a legend go out on a mound, not in a press release about a Triple-A release.
