On the same day he was released from his minor league deal with the Rangers, one of MLB‘s all-time saves leaders is staying in Texas on a major league deal.
The Houston Astros are signing Craig Kimbrel after the right-hander posted a 3.86 ERA and five saves in 24 games with the Rangers’ Triple-A Round Rock affiliate, according to multiple reports.
Veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel is signing with the Houston Astros, a source tells ESPN. He’ll be joining their big league team.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 21, 2025
ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report the news Thursday on Twitter/X.
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Kimbrel, 37, has 440 saves in a career that began in 2010 with the Atlanta Braves — but none since 2024, when he was closing for the Baltimore Orioles.
Kimbrel’s only major league appearance this year came with the Braves, who designated him for assignment after he threw a scoreless inning June 6 in San Francisco.
The Rangers scooped him up and allowed him to audition for contending team in the minor leagues, then released him from his minor league contract so he could sign with the Astros.
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The Astros lost closer Josh Hader to a shoulder injury after his most recent appearance on Aug. 8. Diagnosed with a left shoulder capsule sprain, the left-hander’s season is in jeopardy.
Enter Kimbrel, who has closed at every stop of his 15 year career with the Braves (2010-14), San Diego Padres (2015), Boston Red Sox (2016-18), Chicago Cubs (2019-21), White Sox (2021), Los Angeles Dodgers (2022), Philadelphia Phillies (2023) and Orioles (2024).
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The Astros (69-58 through Wednesday) are trying to hold off the Seattle Mariners (68-60) for first place in the American League West. They held a 1.5-game lead entering Thursday’s game in Baltimore.
Kimbrel’s career body of work is nearly without peer among active pitchers. Only Angels right-hander Kenley Jansen has more career saves, with 470.
Kimbrel, who has 440 career saves, won’t catch up to Jansen soon if ever. But he’ll at least have a chance to contribute to a major league team down the stretch in this, his 16th big league season.
According to Statcast, Kimbrel’s fastball has been in the 92-93 mph range at Triple-A. That doesn’t exactly suggest he will be handed the closer’s role in Houston, even in Hader’s absence.
The Astros entered Thursday’s game in Baltimore riding a four-game losing streak. Bryan Abreu was their last pitcher to record a save, on Aug. 13.
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