Former Phillies scapegoat joins Astros just in time to crush their playoff dreams

When All-Star closer Josh Hader recently went down with a shoulder injury, it left a huge gaping hole at the back end of the bullpen for the Houston Astros. With the expectation that Hader won’t be returning for the rest of the regular season, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros went into panic mode searching for a replacement.

But of all people, Houston has turned to former Philadelphia Phillies scapegoat Craig Kimbrel as the potential solution to their bullpen down the stretch. Unlike his predecessors that inked him to just minor league deals with his abilities in doubt, the Astros surprisingly signed Kimbrel to a major league contract on Thursday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Not sure exactly what Houston is thinking, but to turn to the struggling veteran so quickly must mean they are in dire need of any bullpen help that they can find.

Houston is struggling miserably of late, having lost four of their past five and six of their past nine games. They're just two games ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, and hanging on for dear life. However, this rash move might just be enough to crush their playoff dreams this year.

Phillies' NLCS scapegoat Craig Kimbrel joins Astros just in time to crush their playoff dreams

Phillies fans are all too familiar with what Kimbrel brings, especially after getting the full “Kimbrel” experience during the 2023 MLB Playoffs. In fact, he practically single-handedly handed the series back to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2023 NLCS, thwarting the Phillies' opportunity to make back-to-back World Series appearances.

Kimbrel didn’t fare any better in the following season with the Baltimore Orioles. His inconsistency reared its ugly head once again over the course of 2024 as he ended up posting a dismal 5.33 ERA despite recording 23 saves. But with six blown saves and five losses also tied to his belt, Kimbrel ultimately lost his closer role and was even designated for assignment and released by the team prior to the end of the season in the midst of a playoff race.

As a result of his underwhelming performance, Kimbrel failed to get a major league deal ahead of the 2025 season and had to settle for a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. He eventually ended up pitching in just one MLB game for the Braves in June and was subsequently designated for assignment shortly after. By electing free agency, Kimbrel then joined the Texas Rangers on another minor league contract. However, he was released from the organization earlier on Thursday, paving the way for his union with the Astros.

If Houston is expecting to get the All-Star Kimbrel from back in the days with the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox, they will be in for a huge surprise. After all, he hasn’t looked anything close to that dominant form since 2021, which was over four years ago. Based on the way he has performed in recent years, the Astros will be lucky if he doesn’t actually end up quashing their playoff hopes instead in the coming weeks. It will be up to Kimbrel to prove otherwise, but Phillies fans already know what's likely to happen.