The long-traveled reliever returns to where it all started for him: Right here in Atlanta
Well, then! I can’t say that I saw this one coming but here it is: For the first time since a few days before Opening Day all the way back in 2015, Craig Kimbrel is a member of the Atlanta Braves organization. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Braves and Kimbrel have come to an agreement on a minor league deal.
Free-agent reliever Craig Kimbrel heading back to where he started. In agreement with Braves on minor-league deal, source tells @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 18, 2025
When he was with the Braves, Craig Kimbrel was one of the top relievers in all of baseball. Ever since then, Kimbrel has gone from the Padres, to the Red Sox, to the Cubs, to the White Sox, to the Dodgers, to the Phillies, to the Orioles and now back to the Braves. His most recent stop in Baltimore didn’t particularly go well, as he ended up with a 5.33 ERA (136 ERA-) and a 4.18 FIP (104 FIP-) over 52.1 innings pitched last season. As a result, Kimbrel was left off of Baltimore’s roster for the AL Wild Card Series and became a free agent shortly after that once the O’s declined their club option on him.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com confirmed that the signing took place and he also stated that Kimbrel will be starting the season with the Gwinnett Stripers, so he won’t be making the big league roster.
Confirmed Craig Kimbrel has signed a Minor League deal with the Braves. He will make preparations over the next couple weeks and begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 18, 2025
That’s not particularly a shock, either, as Kimbrel still had yet to latch on to an organization for this upcoming season. With that being said, he’s the type of reliever that you figure that someone would take a chance on across the landscape of MLB. After all, the O’s figured that he was worth $12 million last season with the opportunity for a club option. Again, they ended up declining it after the season he had but having a lefty arm like Kimbrel’s here in 2025 would’ve been enticing for any given team.
As it turns out, the team that was enticed the most was Craig Kimbrel’s first team. I’d imagine that there’s a decent chance that we’re eventually going to see Kimbrel make a return appearance for the actual big league club but also that appears to be down the road as far as this season is concerned.
As it turns out, “down the road” does appear to be the plan, as Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that he’ll be set to make $2 million when he’s eventually ready to join Atlanta’s bullpen as a left-handed option. Craig Kimbrel’s return is indeed coming soon, y’all! It’s best not to expect the shutdown closer that we all know and love from the past but it’ll still be cool to see him in a Braves uniform once again.
Veteran Craig Kimbrel’s minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves will pay him $2 million in the major leagues, a source tells ESPN. Kimbrel is expected to ramp up for a few weeks and, if all goes according to plan, join the Braves’ big league bullpen. @Ken_Rosenthal on the news.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 18, 2025