When the Philadelphia Phillies first signed Craig Kimbrel, there was initial anticipation of them getting to see some of the all-time closer lure that came with his name. Now, when you utter Kimbrel's name around Phillies fans, the knee-jerk reaction is to point to the Phillies' downfall in the 2023 NLCS and Kimbrel's role in that playoff series.
To be fair to Phillies fans, putting up a 12.00 ERA in four appearances in an NLCS that heavily favored the Phillies and their World Series aspirations is pretty brutal. The Game 4 Alek Thomas home run may truly haunt Phillies fans forever, per MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Kimbrel and the Phillies both moved on after the one-year deal. He has continued bouncing around from team to team, much like he did since his Braves' departure back in 2015. For some players, there's always a suitor, and you just have to find them. Lo and behold, Kimbrel found another team, the Texas Rangers, to take a chance on him and possibly redeem whatever he has left in the tank.
Craig Kimbrel getting yet another chance with the Rangers
After 16 seasons, the now 37-year-old closer has gotten accustomed to bouncing around different organizations and acclimating to each one. Relief pitchers have more of a tendency to float around and Kimbrel's most recent signing only solidifies that thought, per MLB.com's Kennedi Landry.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Kimbrel and the Rangers agreed to a minor-league deal earlier this week. It grants Kimbrel another opportunity, as the Rangers' bullpen has the seventh-best ERA (3.41) in the majors.
Craig Kimbrel signing minor-league deal with Rangers, source tells @TheAthletic. Kimbrel elected free agency after the Braves designated him for assignment.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 10, 2025
The Rangers marks Kimbrel's ninth MLB team, if he's able to elevate to the major league club. There was a shortened unceremonious return to the Braves on June 6 in which Kimbrel pitched a scoreless appearance, but was designated for assignment just one day later.
Kimbrel's name still holds weight, and teams at this point are just hoping that he can flash an earlier version of himself. A career 2.59 ERA with 440 career saves and a 14.1 strikeouts per nine consisting of 1,266 strikeouts over 810 2/3 innings is nothing to scoff at. His 440 career saves also ranks fifth all-time in MLB history.
ALEK THOMAS TIES IT! 😱 #NLCS pic.twitter.com/bucXC3XFMz
— MLB (@MLB) October 21, 2023
That's all great in hindsight, but as Kimbrel has gotten older, the same ferocious closer doesn't seem so imposing anymore. From 2023-25, he has pitched to a 4.12 ERA. In 2024, his ranks as far as exit velocity and hard-hit rate remained in the bottom-15th percentile. It may be time to hang up the cleats and just walk away, but who are we to judge when it comes to someone continuing to suit up if there is a team out there willing to hand out another chance?