Former Atlanta Braves star closer Craig Kimbrel is back in the MLB.
Kimbrel elected free agency on August 6 after being DFA’d by the Tampa Bay Rays, which was his second team this year and fifth team in the past two seasons.
After electing free agency, the veteran reliever has signed an MLB deal with the Kansas City Royals, according to Jon Heyman.
“Craig Kimbrel is signing with Royals. MLB deal,” Heyman wrote on X.
Kimbrel was selected in the 33rd round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, but he didn’t sign and instead stayed at Wallace State in order to improve his draft position. Atlanta selected him again in the third round, with the 96th overall selection, of the 2008 MLB Draft.
The right-hander made his MLB debut in 2010 and spent the first five seasons of his career with the Braves. He was an All-Star from 2011-14 with Atlanta, and even won Rookie of the Year in 2011. Despite the dominance, Atlanta dealt Kimbrel to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster deal.
Kinbrel has since played for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and returned to the Braves in 2025. He also has pitched for the Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and the Rays.
Kimbrel is a nine-time MLB All-Star and won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2018.
Royals Take Flier on Kimbrel
With the Royals’ season not going how they wanted, Kansas City took a flier on Kimbrel.
Kimbrel is a solid veteran presence in the bullpen and can be a leader for the team. Royals insider Anne Rogers of MLB.com believes Kimbrel is worth the shot to help mentor some young pitchers.
“The Royals were willing to take a chance at this point in the season with his experience and their need for depth arms. Kansas City’s bullpen ERA entering Saturday was 5.32, which ranked second-worst in MLB behind the A’s (5.70). And the Royals just moved one of their best relievers, Daniel Lynch IV, to the rotation to give him an opportunity to start again with a need arising there,” Rogers wrote.
“Kansas City is trying out a variety of new arms in the ‘pen right now, including Easton McGee, Nate Pearson and Jose Cuas, and they have several new relievers in Triple-A Omaha who could get opportunities in the big leagues down the stretch, including Carlos Duran (acquired via trade with the Dodgers), Nolan Hoffman (claimed off waivers), Connor Thomas (claimed off waivers) and Luke Little (claimed off waivers).”
Kimbrel is 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA in 33 games this season. He’s 56-50 with a 2.67 ERA and 440 saves in his career.
Braves Beat Yankees
Atlanta avoided being swept with a 2-1 extra-innings win over the New York Yankees on Sunday.
Right-hander Grant Holmes went 6 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits as he was able to go toe-to-toe with Cam Schlittler. The Braves were led by Matt Olson, who hit a home run in the seventh, and Michael Harris II’s single was the lone run scored in extras.
With the win, Atlanta improved to 71-47 and is 8.5 games up on the Phillies for the top spot in the NL East.
The Braves will kick-off a three-game series at home against the New York Mets on Monday.
Former Braves All-Star Closer Inks Deal With AL Club After Release