Position: RP
Age: 35 (05/28/1988)
2023 Traditional Stats: 71 G, 69 IP, 3.26 ERA, 23 SV, 1.043 WHIP, 94 SO, 28 BB
2023 Advanced Stats: 132 ERA+, 33.8 SO%, 10.1 BB%, 3.28 xERA, 3.81 FIP, 46.7 HardHit%
Craig Kimbrel has truly aged like a fine wine.
The righty signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Phillies before the start of the 2023 season and outperformed his contract. He posted a 3.26 ERA, 132 ERA+, and 12.3 SO/9 rate in 69 innings.
Kimbrel’s success can be credited to his signature fastball and curveball. Kimbrel threw his fastball over 75 percent of the time and held batters to a .185 batting average and a .346 slugging percentage. He then kept batters off their toes by dropping his curveball, which held batters to a .175 batting average and .325 slugging percentage.
His classic repertoire led to a lot of red on his baseball-savant page. Kimbrel finished in the 86th percentile for xERA, 96th for xBA, 90th in Whiff%, and 98th in K%.
The only area where Kimbrel struggled last season was in hard-hit percentage. The righty was in the bottom four percent of the league in giving up hard contact and batters had an average exit velocity of 90.1 miles per hour. Kimbrel also gave up 10 homers in a season in 2023, the first time doing so in his 14-year career.
Still, Kimbrel’s overall success led to trust between himself and manager Rob Thomson. He worked his way to the closer’s role, recording 23 saves, the most on the team and 13 more than José Alvarado, who had 10.
With his success and newfound role in Philadelphia, Kimbrel made history in 2023. He reached the 400th save milestone, joining Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, Francisco Rodriguez, John Franco, Billy Wagner, and Kenley Jansen in the 400 saves club.
Kimbrel is projected to sign a one-year, $9.64 million contract next season, according to Sportrac.com.
This projected contract is similar to the one he signed last year with the Phillies, which was for one year, $10 million.
As it stands right now, the Mets need bullpen help. The only two pitchers returning from last season who pitched 50 innings are Drew Smith and Brooks Raley, while Edwin Díaz is returning from the injured list.
Kimbrel is a cheap option on the market that could provide the Mets with more innings. He has pitched at least 59 1/2 innings in his last three seasons, and in that time, has averaged a 3.10 ERA and 12.7 SO/9 rate.
Weirdly enough, an enticing part about Kimbrel is his age. With Kimbrel entering his 36-year-old season, he won’t be receiving a multi-year contract. That makes it easier for David Stearns and the front office to lock into Kimbrel for a year and fill out the bullpen.
The Mets should call Kimbrel and bring him to Queens. Plus, by getting a chance in Queens, Kimbrel would become a reincarnated Billy Wagner.
The post Free Agent Profile: Craig Kimbrel first appeared on Metsmerized Online.
