Craig Kimbrel arrived at Dodger Stadium on Monday in a new cap, new colors and with another stop added to a career that has taken him just about everywhere.
The Royals officially signed the veteran reliever Monday, making Kansas City his 12th organization. Kimbrel, 38, has been around long enough to see the league change around him, but his message in his first day with the club was the same one that has followed him through 17 major-league seasons.
“I threw a bullpen today,” Kimbrel said. “So that usually means my name is going to be called. It’s usually how it works out.”
Kimbrel’s résumé already looks like something that belongs in a museum: nine All-Star appearances, a World Series title, a Rookie of the Year Award, a 2.67 career ERA and 440 saves. For the Royals, the appeal goes beyond the numbers. He brings a seasoned voice into a clubhouse that includes players such as Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, both of whom were 7 years old when Kimbrel made his MLB debut in 2010.
Kansas City pitching coach Brian Sweeney sees the value immediately.
“How lucky are we that we get to have him on the team with everything that he has done in the game,” Sweeney said. “You know, from the World Series to the playoffs to Rookie of the Year.
I mean, he’s done it all. And you can just tell by talking to him, you know, he has a winning mentality and a team-first mentality.
I really look forward to getting to know him.”
Kimbrel spent the last few days at home in Tennessee with his family before the phone rang with a new opportunity. He said he spent that time fishing and “making marshmallows and things like that,” then got word the Royals were interested.
“Got the phone call that they were interested and wanted to know if I was. And I’m definitely interested and I’m here. Ready to do some pitching.”
The Royals plan to use him in a variety of bullpen roles. He joins Kansas City after pitching this season for the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays, where he posted a 4.81 ERA in 33 ⅔ innings.
There’s also a familiar opponent waiting right away. Kimbrel will take aim at the Dodgers starting Monday night. He last pitched for Los Angeles in 2022, when he put up a 3.75 ERA in 63 games.
For Kimbrel, the draw is simple. He still believes he can get the job done.
“I still enjoy competing,” Kimbrel said. “I feel like I can go out there and still compete with the best of them.
And I enjoy this opportunity to do so. Hopefully, I can go out there and do that.”
He’ll also get to do it alongside players he has long admired from the other side, including Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr.
“Just from the other side, really admiring what they have done,” Kimbrel said. “I mean, what Salvy has done in his career and getting to see him - getting to put on the same uniform as him, suited up and trying to win some ballgames - that should be fun.”
And that, after all these years and all those uniforms, is still the point. “I might be wearing a different uniform and representing a different city, but when we show up to the clubhouse, the goal is the same,” Kimbrel said. “We try to win that ballgame.”
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