The New York Mets had an open roster spot that looked made for Craig Kimbrel, but he couldn't seal the deal.
The New York Mets are setting up their bullpen for Opening Day this week, and today they informed reliever Craig Kimbrel that he won’t be making the roster, according to a report from Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, who added that it remains unclear whether Kimbrel will remain with the organization.
Kimbrel came to camp as a favorite to make the roster, but he wasn’t able to pitch consistently enough to nail down a bullpen spot. He gave up three runs in six innings with five walks, two hit batters and five strikeouts, and his velocity remained around 93 mph throughout spring training.
The Mets probably could have lived with the velocity drop if Kimbrel had been able to throw strikes, but New York has some pretty stiff bullpen competition that made this move inevitable given his ongoing wildness.
There’s a chance that Kimbrel could decide to report to Triple-A Syracuse with a chance to help the Mets later this season, according to DiComo, although this seems unlikely that Kimbrel keeps catching on with big league teams willing to give him one last chance to revive his career.
The Mets could also release him from his minor league deal, although they’re not contractually obligated to do that, which would give Kimbrel the opportunity to pursue other MLB opportunities that might come to fruition.
If this is the end for Kimbrel, he’ll close out his career with some illustrious numbers. He’s a nine-time All-Star with 440 career saves, which ranks fifth all time among closers and second among active players behind only Kenley Jansen of the Detroit Tigers.
One thing that’s odd about this move is that Kimbrel hasn’t exactly been beat out in this competition. Left-hander Bryan Hudson has struggled to harness his impressive velocity throughout the spring, and fellow lefty Richard Lovelady once again boomeranged back to the Mets when he was released by the Washington Nationals.
One previous move that might have influenced this one happened yesterday as the Mets announced that starter Sean Manaea will once again be returning to the bullpen. Having two struggling veterans in a bullpen that needs to perform well early isn’t exactly a savvy roster move, and DiComo listed Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Tobias Myers and Huascar Brazoban as the other pitchers who have locked down bullpen spots.
It is possible that Kimbrel could spend some time at Syracuse in anticipation of Maneaa being moved back into the rotation in April, but that’s very speculative at this point.