Nine lives: Craig Kimbrel lands with Mets on minor-league deal

Craig Kimbrel seems to have nine lives. 

Actually, it might be even more than that, because Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported Saturday evening that the former Phillie has agreed to a minor-league deal with an invite to MLB camp with the Mets. If Kimbrel makes the Mets, they'll be the 10th team during a career that's had incredible highs but seen the nine-time All-Star become a journeyman in recent years. 

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, Kimbrel will earn a base salary of $2.5 million if he makes the MLB roster. Considering Spotrac estimates that Kimbrel has made $128.3 million over parts of 16 big league seasons, money likely isn't really a concern for the righty at this stage. 

There's something admirable about the fact that the 37-year-old still wants to pitch. Kimbrel's 440 saves are fifth in MLB history, and if he retired today, he'd have a real case for Cooperstown. But he doesn't want to walk away, which is cool in a way. 

At the same time, it's probably been time. Say what you will about Kimbrel running out of gas in the 2023 playoffs with the Phillies, but he was still really useful during that regular season, when he posted a 3.26 ERA and recorded 23 saves in 71 appearances. However, he's posted a 4.76 ERA in 71 MLB appearances over the last two seasons, pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros during that period. 

To be fair, Kimbrel did have a 2.45 ERA in the majors last season, but that came over just 14 games. His 4.22 FIP suggests he would have seen regression over a larger sample size. 

Kimbrel, though, will now attempt to make his third NL East team, having previously pitched for the Braves twice (2010-2014; 2025) and the Phillies in 2023. It would be a cool story if he pitches well enough in Spring Training to make the team as one of Devin Williams' setup men. What's more likely is he either just doesn't have it in spring and is done, or he makes the team and pitches poorly enough to be featured on the back page of a few tabloids before being DFA'd.

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