The Rays have moved on from Craig Kimbrel, telling the veteran right-hander they will designate him for assignment, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. His roster spot is going to Freddy Peralta, whom Tampa Bay acquired from the Mets on Sunday.
Kimbrel’s stop in Tampa Bay was brief and uneven. He signed a big league deal with the Rays after getting cut loose by New York, and he was back in the majors for only one game before a wrist strain sent him to the 15-day injured list on May 31. He came back after the minimum stay and made 18 more appearances, but the overall result was a 3.86 ERA in 18 2/3 innings rather than a dominant rebound.
The underlying numbers help explain why the Rays are making a change. Kimbrel struck out 21.3% of the hitters he faced and walked 12.5%, while also riding a .240 batting average on balls in play. His fastball averaged under 94 mph, well below the 95 to 97 range he carried from 2010-23.
Before arriving in Tampa Bay, Kimbrel had already been through a rocky stretch with the Mets. He started the season in their organization on a minor league deal, was called up on April 11, and then lasted just over a month in New York. After allowing a 6.00 ERA across 15 innings, the Mets designated him on May 22.
For the season, Kimbrel has a 4.81 ERA with a 22.5% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate in 33 2/3 innings between the two clubs. He is 38.
The Rays have until Monday’s 5 p.m. CT trade deadline to see if another team wants him. If no deal comes together, Kimbrel will likely turn down an outright assignment and head back to free agency, which is the path he took after clearing waivers with the Mets earlier this season.
Tampa Bay may not be done hunting for bullpen help. The club is reportedly interested in Padres left-hander Adrian Morejon, though it remains to be seen how aggressively it will chase him after already making a splash on the starter market with the Peralta acquisition.
In Other News...
Rays Linked To An All-Star Bat Who Could Change Everything
A familiar trade-market name is starting to surface again, and it makes sense for a Rays club always looking for ways to squeeze more offense out of its roster. According to USA Todays Bob Nightengale, Tampa Bay is viewed as the heavy favorite to land a three-time batting champion from San Francisco, with the Giants expected to sell and several contenders monitoring the situation.
The appeal is obvious for a Rays team that values contact, versatility and run creation in the margins. Philadelphia, Boston and Texas are also said to be in the mix, so Tampa Bay is not alone here, but any move that adds that kind of bat would reshape the conversation around the lineup in a hurry. For now, it is a matter of whether the Rays can turn a strong position into an actual deal. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Catching Picture Just Got A Lot More Interesting
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Hicks is expected to give the Rays more flexibility behind the plate and in the defensive alignment, while also adding some offense to a lineup that can always use another productive bat. For a club that has spent the week making clear it wants more depth and more options, this is the kind of move that could matter in more ways than one, especially once the full catching picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Just Missed On A Deadline Target That Could Sting
The trade deadline brought another aggressive move in Philadelphia, where the Phillies continued adding to their roster by landing second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants for starting pitcher Ramon Marquez and reliever Marty Gair. They also separately added pitcher Brooks Raley from the Mets, underscoring how active they were in the final stretch before the deadline and how quickly the market can move when contenders start picking off available talent.
For the Rays, the larger takeaway may be less about what the Phillies gained than where this particular player ended up. Arraez had been a name on Tampa Bays radar, and for a while the club looked like it had a real shot to bring him in before the deal swung in another direction. In a deadline market built on thin margins and fast decisions, missing on a target like that can linger, especially when the player fits so neatly into the kind of lineup the Rays like to build. [Read more 🡒]