"The Atlanta Braves signed Kimbrel to a minor league contract in the midst of Spring Training, as he lingered on the market after being released by the Baltimore Orioles prior to the end of the 2024 regular season. He was twice drafted by Atlanta as an amateur, first as 33rd round pick in 2007, and then as a third round pick in 2008."
"He had 1.1 fWAR in Philadelphia in 2023, and 0.9 fWAR with the Dodgers the year before that. While his 103 FIP- from 2024 was his second-highest in his long career, and his 98 xFIP- his third-highest, he still had a decent chance probabilistically of being an above-average reliever given his overall track record and the fact that he was still able to make it work and have a great relief season at 35, just two years removed from 2025."
Craig Kimbrel signed a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves during 2025 Spring Training after being released by the Baltimore Orioles late in 2024. He was twice drafted by Atlanta and debuted in 2010, then was traded to the San Diego Padres before 2015 in a widely-panned salary-dump move. Kimbrel owns 440 career saves but has not exceeded 24 saves in a season since 2018 and spent parts of recent campaigns outside a closer's role. The Braves viewed the signing as bullpen depth rather than an expectation of a major-league closer role. Kimbrel pitched mainly at Triple-A with a 2.81 FIP.
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