Craig Kimbrel is circling back to where it all began.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the veteran closer Kimbrel is reuniting with the Atlanta Braves. Kimbrel has agreed to a minor-league deal with his former ballclub, Rosenthal says.
Jeff Passan of ESPN also reports that Kimbrel’s deal will pay him $2 million if he is in the majors. Passan adds that the plan is for Kimbrel to ramp up over these next few weeks and then join the Braves’ MLB bullpen if all goes according to plan.
Now 36 years old, Kimbrel began his MLB career with Atlanta. He was originally a Braves draft pick all the way back in 2007 and debuted for the team in 2010. Kimbrel played his first five career seasons in Atlanta, making four consecutive All-Star teams and recording 186 total saves for the Braves (also leading Major League Baseball in that category for four straight years).
Since then, Kimbrel has gone on to play for seven other MLB teams. That included the Boston Red Sox, whom Kimbrel won the World Series with in 2018, and the Philadelphia Phillies, whom Kimbrel made his most recent All-Star team with in 2023.
Last season with the Baltimore Orioles was a struggle though for Kimbrel. He had a 5.33 ERA with 23 saves in 29 opportunities. Kimbrel also walked 31 batters in his 57 appearances before eventually getting jettisoned altogether by Baltimore before the end of the season.
The right-hander Kimbrel won’t be closing for Atlanta as Raisel Iglesias, who has logged 67 saves over the last two seasons for the Braves, is expected to retain the ninth-inning duties. But with fellow righty reliever Joe Jimenez, who led Atlanta with 69 total pitching appearances last year, expected to miss all of 2025 after undergoing knee surgery, Kimbrel should be able to lend a helping hand to his familiar former team.
