The Mets signed veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel and veteran catcher Austin Barnes to Minor League contracts that include invitations to Spring Training, the team announced on Thursday.
Terms of the deals weren't announced, but Kimbrel will earn $2.5 million if he makes the Major League team, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
With 440 career saves, Kimbrel is second to Kenley Jansen (476) among active pitchers, and he's fifth on the all-time list.
Kimbrel, 37, posted a 2.25 ERA over 14 appearances between the Braves and Astros last season, his 16th in the Majors. The right-hander was the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year with the Braves, for whom he pitched the first five seasons of his MLB career. From 2011-14, he was one of the best closers in the game, pitching to a 1.51 ERA with 185 saves over that span.
The Mets fortified their bullpen earlier this offseason with the additions of right-handers Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Luis García, but they perhaps see Kimbrel as a potential depth option if he pitches well enough to make the big league club.
Traded to the Padres following the 2014 campaign, Kimbrel saved 39 games with a 2.58 ERA in 2015, his lone season with San Diego. Following that season, he was traded to the Red Sox.
Over the next three seasons with Boston, Kimbrel had a 2.44 ERA with 108 saves. Since signing as a free agent with the Cubs prior to the 2019 campaign, it's been a rocky road for Kimbrel, leading to a 3.83 ERA over the past seven years.
Barnes, 36, has posted a career slash line of .223/.322/.338 with 35 home runs, 162 RBIs, 63 doubles and three triples over 11 Major League seasons with the Dodgers, winning two World Series titles in 2020 and '24.
In 13 games with the Dodgers last season, he hit .214 (9-for-42) with three doubles, two RBIs and four runs before being released on May 20. He then signed with the San Francisco Giants on a Minor League contract, appearing in 13 games in their system before being released on Aug. 1.
He provides an experienced catching option waiting in the wings if Francisco Alvarez or Luis Torrens are injured, with Hayden Senger also in the mix.