The New York Mets brought Kimbrel to camp in a move that was a solid flyer, but so far he's been a disappointment.
The clock is ticking on the New York Mets' bullpen competition, and Craig Kimbrel is one of several relievers who’s up against it. It’s odd to think of Kimbrel that way given that he’s almost certainly a future Hall of Famer, but he’s well into the back nine of his amazing career, so he has to make a big push just to get on the 40-man roster.
It’s a fun competition for everyone but Kimbrel and the other relievers who are vying for a spot, and yesterday Anthony DiComo of MLB.com did an update on his situation.
The big problems have been bouts of wildness and velocity, with the former issues probably being far more serious. According to DiComo, Kimbrel has walked five and hit two batters, with his velocity peaking at 92.6.
“We’re getting close to the end,” Kimbrel said. “My body feels good. I wish I could show a little bit more out there velocity-wise. I’m throwing most of my pitches like I want to, but not all of them. That’s about where I am.”
The Mets currently have one open bullpen spot behind Devein Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Luis Garcia, Tobias Myers and Huascar Brazoban. Kimbrel entered camp with a good chance to lock down that spot, but his inconsistencies have damaged his chances.
One side issue with this is that Kimbrel will make $2.5 million if he makes the roster. That wouldn’t be a big deal for most teams, but this is where the profligate spending of owner Steve Cohen comes into play, as that total gets a lot higher due to luxury tax penalties that enter the picture if the Mets keep him.
“It’s not up to me,” Kimbrel said. “It just kind of depends on what they want the roster to look like, who they want down in the bullpen and who they think is going to help the team to start the year. Do I feel like I can do that? Absolutely. But it’s not my choice.”
That’s a short-form way of saying that this call will be about the future vs. the present, with Kimbrel’s wildness issues as a side dish. DiComo spoke highly about the velocity of left-hander Bryan Hudson, who's 28, even though his current ERA is 11.57 in a very small sample of spring-training appearances.
Mets officials have lauded Hudson’t work on the back fields, so this is another decision that’s being slow-crawled by manager Carlos Mendoza, who has praised the quality of Kimbrel’s stuff so far.
DiComo also listed Austin Warren, Joey Gerber and Richard Lovelady as the other bullpen candidates, and given the potentially erratic performance of any of these pitchers at a given moment, it makes sense to push this call back as close to Opening Day as possible.