Mets, Craig Kimbrel agree to minor-league deal, source says
Former Astros reliever Craig Kimbrel pitches against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Aug. 24, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. Credit: Getty Images/Greg Fiume
In their latest move in what has become a busy offseason, the Mets are taking a flier on one of the all-time great closers.
Righthander Craig Kimbrel, 37, has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Mets, according to a source.
The nine-time All-Star has 440 career saves, the fifth-most in MLB history. He has had great success against the Mets in his career with a 1.38 ERA and 30 saves in 45 2⁄3 innings.
In 14 MLB games last season, 13 with Houston and one with Atlanta, Kimbrel had a 2.25 ERA with 17 strikeouts and seven walks in 12 innings. He spent most of 2025 in the minor leagues, posting a 3.00 ERA in 39 innings (42 games) with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate and Atlanta’s Triple-A and Double-A affiliates.
Kimbrel, known for his unorthodox pitching stance in which he dangles his right arm while looking for the sign from the catcher, was an All-Star in 2023 with the Phillies. He went 8-6 with 23 saves and a 3.26 ERA that season.
Kimbrel, the National League Rookie of the Year in 2011, became an immediate star in his early 20s with Atlanta, earning All-Star nods and finishing in the top 10 in the NL Cy Young Award voting from 2011-14.
He also was named an All-Star in each of his three seasons with the Red Sox (2016-18) and finished sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 2017.
While Kimbrel is no guarantee to make the team, the Mets’ bullpen will take on a much different look after losing Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers. They signed former Yankees righthanders Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in December and inked righthander Luis Garcia on Wednesday.
Newsday’s David Lennon contributed to this story.
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
