Well, then! I can\u2019t say that I saw this one coming but here it is: For the first time since a few days before Opening Day all the way back in 2015, Craig Kimbrel is a member of the Atlanta Braves organization. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Braves and Kimbrel have come to an agreement on a minor league deal.<\/p>\n
\nFree-agent reliever Craig Kimbrel heading back to where he started. In agreement with Braves on minor-league deal, source tells @TheAthletic.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 18, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
When he was with the Braves, Craig Kimbrel was one of the top relievers in all of baseball. Ever since then, Kimbrel has gone from the Padres, to the Red Sox, to the Cubs, to the White Sox, to the Dodgers, to the Phillies, to the Orioles and now back to the Braves. His most recent stop in Baltimore didn\u2019t particularly go well, as he ended up with a 5.33 ERA (136 ERA-) and a 4.18 FIP (104 FIP-) over 52.1 innings pitched last season. As a result, Kimbrel was left off of Baltimore\u2019s roster for the AL Wild Card Series and became a free agent shortly after that once the O\u2019s declined their club option on him.<\/p>\n
Mark Bowman of MLB.com confirmed that the signing took place and he also stated that Kimbrel will be starting the season with the Gwinnett Stripers, so he won\u2019t be making the big league roster.<\/p>\n
\n\nConfirmed Craig Kimbrel has signed a Minor League deal with the Braves. He will make preparations over the next couple weeks and begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 18, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
That\u2019s not particularly a shock, either, as Kimbrel still had yet to latch on to an organization for this upcoming season. With that being said, he\u2019s the type of reliever that you figure that someone<\/em> would take a chance on across the landscape of MLB. After all, the O\u2019s figured that he was worth $12 million last season with the opportunity for a club option. Again, they ended up declining it after the season he had but having a lefty arm like Kimbrel\u2019s here in 2025 would\u2019ve been enticing for any given team.<\/p>\n
As it turns out, the team that was enticed the most was Craig Kimbrel\u2019s first team. I\u2019d imagine that there\u2019s a decent chance that we\u2019re eventually going to see Kimbrel make a return appearance for the actual big league club but also that appears to be down the road as far as this season is concerned.<\/p>\n
As it turns out, \u201cdown the road\u201d does appear to be the plan, as Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that he\u2019ll be set to make $2 million when he\u2019s eventually ready to join Atlanta\u2019s bullpen as another right-handed option. Craig Kimbrel\u2019s return is indeed coming soon, y\u2019all! It\u2019s best not to expect the shutdown closer that we all know and love from the past but it\u2019ll still be cool to see him in a Braves uniform once again.<\/p>\n
\n\nVeteran Craig Kimbrel\u2019s minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves will pay him $2 million in the major leagues, a source tells ESPN. Kimbrel is expected to ramp up for a few weeks and, if all goes according to plan, join the Braves\u2019 big league bullpen. @Ken_Rosenthal on the news.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 18, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The long-traveled reliever returns to where it all started for him: Right here in Atlanta<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":42394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n
Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The long-traveled reliever returns to where it all started for him: Right here in Atlanta\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-19T01:11:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389\",\"name\":\"Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-19T01:11:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-19T01:11:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal - NEWS USA","og_description":"The long-traveled reliever returns to where it all started for him: Right here in Atlanta","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-03-19T01:11:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389","name":"Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-19T01:11:18+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-19T01:11:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/avtvip-3-5.jpg","width":900,"height":900},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=42389#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Braves sign Craig Kimbrel to minor league deal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42395,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42389\/revisions\/42395"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}