The Royals have signed veteran right-hander Craig Kimbrel to a Major League contract, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports. The Royals will be the third team on the list just this year, as Kimbrel has a 4.81 ERA over 33 2/3 combined innings with the Mets and Rays. Kimbrel was an All-Star as recently as 2023, but he has a 4.78 ERA over 98 innings since Opening Day 2024. Selecting Kimbrel’s contract locked in a $2.5MM salary for the 2026 season that is still mostly the Mets’ responsibility. has one of baseball’s worst bullpens, and there isn’t much to lose bringing Kimbrel in to cover some innings or get some leverage work.