BALTIMORE — The Houston Astros are in agreement with nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel on a major-league contract, league sources told The Athletic on Thursday, adding veteran depth to a bullpen in need of it.
Kimbrel, 37, has not pitched in a major-league game since June 6. He spent time in the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers organizations this season. The Rangers granted him his release on Thursday afternoon after Kimbrel posted a 3.86 ERA across 21 innings for Triple-A Round Rock.
Kimbrel’s 440 career saves trail only Los Angeles Angels closer Kenley Jansen for the most by any active reliever. Sixth on the list is Houston closer Josh Hader, who is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a capsule strain in his left shoulder.
Adding Kimbrel should relieve some pressure from a bullpen short on experience in Hader’s absence. Fill-in closer Bryan Abreu is among the sport’s best relievers, but nothing behind him is as settled.
Bennett Sousa, Bryan King and Kaleb Ort are among the club’s collection of setup men. None of them entered the season with more than a year of major-league service time. Both Sousa and King are left-handed, accentuating another reason for the right-handed Kimbrel’s addition.
Entering Friday, right-handed Astros relievers had faced a major-league low 1,000 hitters, underscoring the drastic imbalance within a bullpen that, at full strength, carried four left-handed relievers.
Abreu is, in essence, the only right-handed reliever with manager Joe Espada’s ultimate trust. To presume Kimbrel will earn it immediately is foolish, but he does afford the manager another right-handed option with robust experience.
Kimbrel has pitched in parts of 16 major-league seasons and made 30 postseason appearances. He closed for the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, and, in 2023, threw for a Philadelphia Phillies team that reached the NLCS.
A former Rookie of the Year winner who last made an All-Star team in 2023, Kimbrel had a brutal season for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, authoring a 5.33 ERA and 1.357 WHIP in 57 appearances.
Kimbrel averaged 93.9 mph with his four-seam fastball while with the Orioles — nearly two miles per hour below what he averaged in 2022 and 2023. He generated just a 22.3 percent chase rate after posting a 29.1 percent clip in 2024.
Baltimore designated Kimbrel for assignment in September 2024 after signing him to a one-year, $12 million contract over the winter. Kimbrel will, ironically, join the Astros for a series against the Orioles at Camden Yards this weekend.
(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
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