Clause in Craig Kimbrel’s contract may force Braves' hand

The Atlanta Braves' bullpen has been among the worst in baseball. There isn’t a single guy that should be trusted with a one-run lead, and that’s really unfortunate considering the Braves have played more one-run games than any team in baseball.

Because of that, everybody is wondering why the hell the team has not decided to call up Craig Kimbrel. The nine-time All-Star has been throwing in games at the minor-league level since April 15th, and he’s been downright dominant. Over 15 innings, he boasts a 1.20 ERA with 18 strikeouts, as his fastball has risen back into the mid-90s. Kimbrel hasn’t given up a run since May 10th (five appearances), striking out seven batters and allowing just two hits with no walks.

Yeah… the Braves could certainly use a guy like that, and frankly, it’s downright incompetence from the front office that he has not been added to the active roster. However, that’s not going to be the case for much longer.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Craig Kimbrel has a rolling opt-out clause in his contract, meaning he can opt out of his minor-league deal with the Braves if another team offers him a major-league contract.

“Anyone interested in a potential Hall of Fame reliever? Right-hander Craig Kimbrel has a 1.54 ERA and is averaging better than a strikeout per inning at Triple A.

Kimbrel’s minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves includes a rolling opt-out. If a club offers him a major-league job, the Braves must promote him to their roster or let him go.

Kimbrel, who turned 37 on Wednesday, had 23 saves in 28 chances with the Orioles before the All-Star break last season and a 2.80 ERA. He collapsed in the second half, and the Orioles released him in late September.”

The fact that it might even come to that is highly questionable. Atlanta’s bullpen ranks 28th (!) in fWAR this season, ahead of only the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels. The Braves’ relief corps needs all the help they can get, and they’ve got a potential future Hall of Famer on the farm putting up zeroes every time he toes the rubber.

Kimbrel’s return to Atlanta is long overdue, and only further calls into question the Braves' leadership, who have done a lot more bad than good of late.