The Mets are signing veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel to a Minor League contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to a report by MLB Network insider Jon Heyman on Saturday. The club has not confirmed the deal, which will net Kimbrel $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.