The Braves finally promoted Craig Kimbrel to the Majors a little more than three weeks after he called president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos to inform him he was ready. Anthopoulos’ reason for hesitance was seen Friday night, when Kimbrel was fortunate to work a scoreless inning with a fastball that sat 91-92 and less-than-impressive offspeed pitches.
Braves manager Brian Snitker might have prepared us for what was to come when he said, “He kind of lucked out of it,” in reference to the reliever’s first appearance for Atlanta since he was traded to the Padres on the eve of the 2015 season.
This certainly wasn’t a ringing endorsement, and we learned exactly what the club thought of Kimbrel’s outing when he was designated for assignment about 12 hours later. Tough way to go? Sure. But it’s not like this is the first tough goodbye for an Atlanta legend.
John Smoltz was bothered the Braves didn’t even show interest in him when he was a free agent before the 2009 season. Tom Glavine’s bid to return that same year ended with an unceremonious release.
Why did the Braves fly Kimbrel across the country if they were already concerned about his stuff? Well, they certainly found themselves desperate on Thursday, when they lost Daysbel Hernandez to the injured list and then lost a game they led by six runs in the ninth.
Maybe there was hope a reintroduction to the Majors might create more adrenaline and lead to improved stuff. But whatever hope there was, faded quickly.
The Braves will have to pay the prorated portion of $2 million during the days that pass until Kimbrel passes through waivers. They now will pay the prorated portion of MLB’s minimum salary ($760,000) for a reliever who may be able to provide similar value.
Regardless, Kimbrel will forever be considered the best relief pitcher in Braves history. Like Glavine and Smoltz, he’ll get over what happened and then one day possibly join them in the Braves Hall of Fame.
