One of the most important sources of frustration for the Atlanta Braves within the 2025 season was how the franchise opted to deal with the exit of Craig Kimbrel. The former nearer leads Atlanta in franchise saves and was introduced again on a minor league deal in hopes of recapturing previous manufacturing. The Braves allowed Kimbrel one street outing earlier than parting methods with the veteran in what was an unsightly transfer. Kimbrel deserved the possibility to proceed in an underwhelming bullpen or, on the very least, the possibility to exit in entrance of his dwelling crowd.
The veteran would land with the Houston Astros, pitching in 13 video games and giving up solely three earned runs. Fast ahead a yr later, and Kimbrel has continued to show he has one thing left within the tank, pitching two scoreless outings with the New York Mets. Watching the previous Brave proceed to indicate up the Braves entrance workplace is irritating and a reminder of how badly the Braves fumbled the state of affairs.
Even nearly as good as Atlanta’s bullpen has been to start out the 2026 season, it’s straightforward to argue that Kimbrel may have been an possibility in one of many closing two spots. Joel Payamps is a chief instance of a struggling participant whose roster spot Kimbrel may’ve crammed. While the reliever hasn’t been rostered since final season, there ought to nonetheless be a degree of frustration as to how the state of affairs was managed.
Braves Continue to Pay the Price for Mismanaging Atlanta Legend Craig Kimbrel
In equity, you will need to level out that Atlanta’s front office has had more recent wins than losses with Raisel Iglesias, Dominic Smith, and Mauricio Dubon standing out as offseason wins. However, this nonetheless does not wipe away the frustration of seeing Kimbrel pitch for a hated rival and doing so at a productive degree.
Atlanta may’ve saved this manufacturing a season in the past and provided their younger bullpen an skilled veteran to lean on. Even within the 2026 season, this made sense for one of many closing bullpen spots with the Braves coping with a myriad of accidents to start the season.
For Kimbrel, it’s nice to see the reliever returning to kind, even when it does include the Mets. The nearer meant a lot to his former group and was one of many few really dominating closers the league has seen. While today are behind Kimbrel, the veteran has reinvented himself and continues to seek out methods to contribute.
Contributing to a rival as an alternative of his first group must be laid squarely on the ft of a entrance workplace that disrespected the veteran a season in the past and fumbled the chance to lock up what has been low-cost manufacturing.
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