Veteran bullpen piece still has lots to prove if he wants to make the NY Mets roster

For many big-league veterans, spring training is more about getting warmed up than it is about making a statement. Many of them already have an established place on their team and don't need to fight for a roster spot like up-and-coming prospects and fringe guys. The New York Mets are right there in the thick of some major Opening Day roster decisions.

New York has the same tough calls that nearly every team has heading into Opening Day. The roster battle that has dominated headlines for much of the offseason is whether Carson Benge will be playing right field in the big leagues when the season starts. Given their depth of young talent, the rotation has also drawn similar questions but a veteran bullpen addition presents challenges of its own.

Despite his career accomplishments, Craig Kimbrel still has to demonstrate his value to the Mets

The team signed Kimbrel to a minor-league deal at the end of January, an industry-standard move to add cheap bullpen depth in case there's any remaining upside left. Unfortunately, it looks like the 37-year-old is taking his time getting into the swing of things. Minimizing injury risk is a smart move for a player whose illustrious big-league career could very well be ended by an elbow or shoulder issue but it means that his workload in spring training will be limited. So far, he has pitched just three innings.

Kimbrel's major league workload was also limited in 2025, posting a 2.25 ERA over just 12 innings. He did manage a 3.00 ERA over 39 minor league innings and his peripherals were encouraging. His fastball has lost a few ticks of velocity since his last All-Star season in 2023 but he still managed a whiff rate of 30.0% in Triple-A last year along with a 29.8% strikeout rate.

There are two aspects of being a veteran that could help his chances. First, having an experienced pitcher in the clubhouse can often have indirect benefits for younger arms that have the opportunity to learn from the more tenured player. Second, there's plenty of historic big-league data to supplement whatever he does (or doesn't) accomplish in spring training. Nonetheless, how much importance the Mets actually place on that data is unclear.

Even if he does make the team, there's little chance he'll get more chances to add to his 440 career saves. The Mets already have Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, both of whom hold more promise in high-leverage situations than Kimbrel who hasn't recorded a save since July 7th, 2024. Nonetheless, he and manager Carlos Mendoza remain bullish on what he brings to the table even if the climb up the depth chart will be a steep one.

It's not a controversial take that the bullpen is the weakest aspect of the team and if he's able to recapture some of the magic of his prime, Craig Kimbrel could be great value for money. However, the front office is rightfully skeptical if they were only willing to commit to a minor-league deal, allowing the organization to cut him with little sunk cost. To his credit, he still seems confident in his run prevention abilities but he'll have just a few more weeks to convince the Mets if he wants to make the Opening Day roster.