Craig Kimbrel Quickly Finds New Home with Astros
So here’s the latest on veteran closer Craig Kimbrel — and it all unfolded really fast. On Thursday, Kimbrel was officially released by the Texas Rangers. That same day, almost immediately, he landed with a new team: the Houston Astros. Moves like that don’t usually happen so quickly, but in this case the timing lined up perfectly.
Now, let’s put this into perspective. Kimbrel has been bouncing around a bit this season. He made just one big-league appearance earlier in the year with Atlanta before his time there ended. Afterward, he signed with the Rangers, but that stint didn’t last very long either. By Thursday morning, he was back on the free-agent market. And by Thursday evening, he had a fresh contract with Houston in hand.
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Why the Astros? Well, the team is in real need of bullpen support. Their top closer, Josh Hader, is sidelined with a shoulder issue. That leaves the Astros short-handed in late-inning situations, and adding an experienced arm like Kimbrel’s at least gives them some extra stability. That said, expectations are being tempered. The Astros aren’t planning to immediately slot Kimbrel into the closer’s role, so he probably won’t be racking up saves right away. Instead, he’s more likely to be used in middle-to-late innings, bridging the gap until Hader is healthy or until the team has more clarity on how the bullpen pieces fit together.
For Kimbrel, this is another chance to prove he still has value. The 36-year-old has had a long and decorated career, including eight All-Star selections and a World Series title. But the past few seasons have been inconsistent, with flashes of his old dominance mixed with stretches where command and velocity weren’t as sharp as they used to be. Signing with Houston offers him both opportunity and challenge: he’ll be pitching in meaningful games for a playoff contender, but he’ll also have to earn the trust of the coaching staff and his new teammates.
From the Astros’ side, the move makes sense. It’s low risk — they needed bullpen depth, and Kimbrel was available without a long waiting period. If he can give them reliable innings and veteran presence, it’s a win. If not, the team hasn’t sacrificed much to take the chance.
So, in short, Craig Kimbrel went from being a free agent in the morning to wearing Houston colors by night. It’s a quick turnaround, and it puts him right back into the thick of a playoff race. Whether he can recapture enough of his old form to make a difference — well, that’s the storyline worth keeping an eye on as the Astros push deeper into the season.
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