Craig Kimbrel’s Mets Future in Doubt as New York Prioritizes Roster Efficiency Over Sentiment
The New York Mets have spent much of the offseason reconstructing their roster after the departures of two superstar talents, yet one lingering item remains unresolved as Spring Training pushes deeper into February: the bullpen configuration and, specifically, the fate of veteran closer Craig Kimbrel.
New York has made notable strides in reshaping its core, adding depth in several key areas and plugging major structural gaps, but the relief corps continues to be a puzzle that requires precise handling to avoid unnecessary instability.
According to FanSided’s Zachary Rotman, the Mets are expected to make several cuts before camp concludes, and one of the most significant names potentially caught in the roster crunch is Kimbrel, whose chances of making the Opening Day roster appear increasingly slim.
Rotman points to multiple factors working against the longtime All-Star, starting with the nature of his minor-league contract, which gives the organization flexibility but significantly raises the threshold for him to earn a spot among the top bullpen arms.
Because Kimbrel is not on the 40-man roster, adding him would require two layers of justification: first, proving he is one of the seven or eight most effective relievers in camp, and second, creating space by designating another player for assignment.
The Mets are further constrained by their likely commitment to a six-man rotation, which reduces available bullpen spots from eight to seven and heightens the competitive pressure for pitchers fighting for limited innings.
While the idea of Kimbrel donning a Mets uniform carries undeniable sentimental appeal—especially given his history of dominating New York during his early years with the Atlanta Braves—sentiment alone cannot drive roster decisions for a team with postseason expectations.
Kimbrel’s recent numbers create an even more complex evaluation scenario, because the small-sample production he delivered last season stands in sharp contrast with his larger-sample struggles the year before.
Across 14 games last season, Kimbrel posted an impressive 2.25 ERA alongside 17 strikeouts and a 1.417 WHIP, which indicates he still possesses the ability to miss bats at a high level, even if command remains inconsistent.
However, when examining his full 2024 campaign, the story changes considerably, as he delivered a 5.33 ERA over an extended workload, collecting 73 strikeouts but also yielding a 1.357 WHIP across 23 saves that frequently featured unnecessary turbulence.
The volatility reflected in those numbers underscores a broader question facing evaluators: whether Kimbrel can sustain quality production over a full season, or whether age and workload accumulation have created irreversible decline factors.
The Mets are not without compassion, but their current mandate is clear—build a roster capable of competing immediately, without being held back by nostalgia for past greatness or reputational legacy.
Kimbrel’s $2.5 million contract makes the financial component largely irrelevant; New York can absorb the cost with minimal disruption or allow the veteran to remain in Triple-A as organizational depth without significant cap constraint.
There is no denying the emotional component associated with a player of Kimbrel’s pedigree potentially failing to make a major-league roster. His resume is long, decorated, and historically significant, with one of the most dominant stretches ever recorded by a modern closer.
Yet baseball remains an unforgiving business, one that demands constant adaptation to physical decline, evolving hitter tendencies, and organizational priorities that shift quickly in high-stakes markets like New York.
Within that context, the Mets must evaluate Kimbrel through a lens that is strictly performance-based, weighing whether his present-day abilities align with the high-leverage demands placed upon a bullpen striving for reliability in late-inning scenarios.
New York’s bullpen issues last season were well-documented, as inconsistency in middle relief and ninth-inning vulnerability cost the team multiple winnable games and undermined momentum during crucial stretches.
Rebuilding that unit requires not only raw stuff, but also durability, stability, and the capacity to handle modern multi-inning leverage roles—attributes that Kimbrel may no longer possess at the level required.
The other complicating factor is the emergence of younger, more controllable arms within the organization, pitchers who offer both developmental upside and roster flexibility that can prove invaluable over a long season.
If even one of those rising relievers shows legitimate step-forward potential during Spring Training, the bar Kimbrel must clear grows even higher, reinforcing the likelihood that his future lies in the minors rather than Queens.
Still, the door is not entirely closed, as injuries or unexpected regression from other bullpen competitors could create an opening late in March, though relying on that outcome would be optimistic at best.
Ultimately, the Mets must prioritize structural continuity and bullpen reliability above all else, and early indicators suggest the front office views Kimbrel as more of an emergency depth option than a central pillar of the relief hierarchy.
While it may be painful for fans to witness a surefire future Hall of Famer reach this stage of his career, it is clear that New York’s competitive urgency supersedes nostalgia, making Kimbrel’s omission from the Opening Day roster not only probable but arguably necessary.
In the end, the Mets’ path forward is shaped by an unambiguous truth: the franchise aims to win now, and difficult decisions—no matter how uncomfortable—must be made to protect that goal, even when the casualties include legendary names.
