Craig Kimbrel Elects Free Agency

Right-hander Craig Kimbrel, who was designated for assignment by the Rays a few days ago, has cleared waivers and exercised his right to elect free agency. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times relayed the news.

Kimbrel, 38, is one of the best closers in history. He is currently fifth on the all-time saves list. But at this stage of his career, he’s a veteran journeyman. Dating back to the start of the 2021 seasons, he has pitched for nine different clubs.

In his most recent seasons, the numbers have waned. Since the start of 2024, he has a 4.78 earned run average in 98 major league innings. He started this year with the Mets on a minor league deal. He was added to that club’s roster in April. He lasted about six weeks before being designated for assignment. After clearing waivers and electing free agency at that point, he landed with the Rays.

Between the two clubs, he has thrown 33 2/3 innings with a 4.81 ERA. His 11.1% walk rate is a bit high. He has always been a bit wild but used to strikeout roughly 40% of batters faced at his peak. Even in recent years, he has been above 30%. This year, that figure is down to 22.2%, a far more pedestrian clip.

He’ll now head to the open market to see what opportunities are out there for him. With the trade deadline now in the past, it’s harder for clubs to upgrade their rosters, which could help him. He’s obviously not the fearsome closer he once was but he has years of experience and is still reasonably effective.