The Mets’ bullpen in 2026 has a new look after some significant additions and subtractions. The team lost Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley both headed to the American League East, and Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nuñez will miss the season following Tommy John surgeries. The Mets have most notably added Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, but they also signed Luis García and received Tobias Myers in the Freddy Peralta trade. But the bullpen is likely to have turnover as the Mets decide
who works and who doesn’t, and for that likelihood, they have several options in the fold heading into spring training.
One such option is Craig Kimbrel, who the team signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training. A potential Hall of Famer in the twilight of his career, Kimbrel has hopped from team to team over the past few seasons. And now he’s with the Mets, with the potential to give them some solid innings in relief if he makes the major league roster.
Over the course his career, Kimbrel has logged a 2.58 ERA in 821.2 innings, with 1,282 strikeouts and a 1.020 WHIP. He has 440 saves, which is the fifth most all-time, and a career 159 ERA+ that’s well above average for a reliever. He’s accumulated 22.7 bWAR in his career, on par with other top closers of his era like Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman.
A lot of that accumulation and excellence came earlier in his career, however, and Kimbrel has turned into a solid relief option instead of a feared closer. His first nine seasons in the major leagues produced some really tremendous work. He had a 1.80 ERA in 470.1 innings with 772 strikeouts, 291 saves, a 0.910 WHIP, and a 222 ERA+. In those nine seasons, he was worth 17.7 bWAR, won Rookie of the Year in 2011 with the Braves, made nine All-Star teams, finished top ten in Cy Young Award voting five times, and even received MVP votes from 2011 to 2013.
Since 2019, when he signed with the Cubs, he has put up a 3.83 ERA in 289 innings and earned just 107 of his career saves, less than a quarter of career total. He has just 414 strikeouts in that time with a 1.204 WHIP and a 110 ERA+, far below his usual dominance. He accumulated just 2.9 of his career WAR during that time as well.
Last year, he was somewhat effective in a limited role. In 12.0 innings with two different teams—the lion’s share being with the Astros—he had a 2.25 ERA with 17 strikeouts and a 1.417 WHIP. He didn’t get any saves, but he had a 197 ERA+ and accumulated 0.4 bWAR in such limited time. He might not have been a star closer, but in an admittedly extremely small sample, he was a good late inning relief option for the Astros down the stretch.
With at least one or two spots in their bullpen up for grabs in spring training, the Mets are giving Kimbrel a lookto see if he can win a spot. And if he can deliver, he could become a dependable piece of the Mets’ bullpen this season.
