Craig Kimbrel Intends to Stay With Mets

Kimbrel, 37, allowed three runs in six innings this spring, totaling five strikeouts, five walks and two hit batters. His fastball velocity sat around 93 mph during Grapefruit League play — on par with recent seasons but far from the triple digits he flashed during his prime years.

For the last few seasons, Kimbrel has bounced around the league, showing flashes of his nine-time All-Star form but without much consistency. He split 2025 between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros organizations, combining for a 3.00 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 39 minor league innings. The right-hander made 14 appearances in the majors, posting a 2.25 ERA and a 14.3% walk rate.

Kimbrel, who ranks fifth all-time and second among active players with 440 career saves, will soon report to Triple-A Syracuse with a chance to help the Mets later this season. He would have earned a base salary of $2.5 million if he had made the big league roster.

“For him to still consider staying with the team, it goes to show you what we’re building here, who those guys are in that clubhouse, who he is as well,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday.

The Mets currently have seven bullpen locks: Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Luis García, Tobias Myers, Huascar Brazobán and Sean Manaea, the latter of whom will begin the season in a piggyback relief role before potentially moving back to the rotation in mid-April. That leaves one remaining spot for either Bryan Hudson or Richard Lovelady, both of whom are left-handed.

Hudson, 28, has allowed six earned runs over 3.1 innings this spring, while Lovelady, 30, just joined the Mets following a waiver claim last week. New York could also potentially turn to the waiver wire again for relief help in the final days leading up to Opening Day.

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