Craig Kimbrel went south to find a new home but he went north in the standings.
The former Mets reliever signed with the Rays on a major-league deal after being designated for assignment by the last-place Mets on Friday, according to The Athletic.
Kimbrel refused a minor league assignment, paving the path for him to land with the AL East leaders.
The 37-year-old struggled with the Mets after signing a minor league deal with the team in the offseason, posting a 6.00 ERA across 15 innings.
The former flamethrower did not allow an earned run in his first four outings, but surrendered 10 earned runs in his next 11 1/3 innings.
A stretch of three straight outings in which he allowed a run ultimately sealed his fate.
The Mets tried to keep him in the organization, but he prioritized being on a major league roster.
“[Kimbrel] is such a pro, and we appreciate him and have nothing but respect, and wishing him the best,” mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’ll see what happens here as he goes through waivers.”
The Rays will be the 11th team Kimbrel has pitched for in his career and they could be the right team to help him find his form in what’s been a rough stretch for the potential Hall of Famer.
Tampa Bay has one of the sport’s strongest pitching programs and has helped plenty of relievers find success over the years.
Kimbrel has posted a 4.99 ERA across the last three seasons with the Braves, Orioles, Astros and Mets, respectively.
While Kimbrel still can generate strikeouts, he is not as successful in limiting damage during his younger days when he served as one of the sport’s elite closers.
Kimbrel owns a career 2.65 ERA and has notched 440 saves, which ranks fifth in history.
He would need a late-career resurgence to have any shot of catching Lee Smith, who ranks fourth with 478 career saves.
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