No-risk NY Mets addition of future Braves Hall of Famer is a new kind of signing

What could possibly go wrong? On a minor league deal, not a whole lot. The New York Mets have actively added to their minor league depth this offseason, their latest bringing in future Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame player Craig Kimbrel.

His 440 career saves in MLB, none from last year, will enter St. Lucie with what is likely to be an opportunity to win a roster spot due to injury. Because of Kimbrel’s 39 innings logged in Triple-A last year for the Braves and Houston Astros, he’s someone who might actually stick around even if things do go well.

What has Craig Kimbrel been up to anyway?

Just a dozen big league innings last year, Kimbrel logged only one with the Braves and the rest with the Astros. Surface-level successful, his 2.25 ERA suggests he’s not throwing batting practice.

Walking 5.3 per 9 and about the same in the minors, control is what has been holding Kimbrel back. He’ll still strike out a pair of batters in an inning but it’ll come with a walk.

His last full season in the majors was in 2024 as a closer for the Baltimore Orioles. A 5.33 ERA and DFA before the year was over, there wasn’t much interest by the Braves to give him much of a chance. He briefly spent time throwing in the minors for the Texas Rangers before making his way to the Lone Star State’s other team.

Kimbrel is different from the typical Mets depth signing on a minor league deal. We have yet to see David Stearns make a move quite like this. Usually it takes a deeper search. Kimbrel is fifth all time in career saves. He’ll turn 38 in May and seems unlikely to add all that many more to ever move up. Even Kenley Jansen is still getting closer gigs, signing with the Detroit Tigers this offseason.

If you need any reason as to why bother, check out his large red beard. There must be a minimum and with Reed Garrett out, Jake Diekman long gone, and Dylan Covey wherever he is, Kimbrel was a must. Nolan McLean can't do it all himself.

We may never see Kimbrel in a Mets uniform, but he’s bound to appear in at least a few spring training games. If nothing else, there’s a new trivia question to test your friends with in the future.