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Mets officially announce free agent signings of 2 World Series champions
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- Mets officially announce free agent signings of 2 World Series champions
Mets officially announce free agent signings of 2 World Series champions originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The New York Mets announced a couple of fun signings on Thursday.
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The deals had already been reported for a while, but the team made official that out of free agency, they've added reliever Craig Kimbrel and catcher Austin Barnes , a couple of World Series champions.
Kimbrel is one of the best relief pitchers ever, and he did his best work with the division rival Atlanta Braves .
The right-hander is 37-years old now, and in 2025, he made a combined 14 appearances at the MLB level, one with Atlanta and 13 with Houston .
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In his 2025 action, Kimbrel had a 2.25 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 12.0 innings.
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That was a major improvement on his 2024, when he threw 57 outings for Baltimore with a 5.33 ERA.
It seems likely Kimbrel can still be an MLB-quality reliever in spurts, although he wouldn't be put into a closer role anymore.
Barnes is a 36-year old catcher who has played all of his MLB games with the Los Angeles Dodgers , where he won two World Series rings.
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He's always been regarded more as a defensive-minded catcher, and he's a career .223 hitter who batted .214 in just 42 at bats in 2025.
Barnes is a depth signing, one would think, as the Mets seem set with Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens as the catchers on their MLB roster, but if Barnes impresses in the spring, he could push Torrens for that backup job.
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It's cool that the Mets announced these veteran signings on the same day, signaling that they're bringing aboard a couple of guys who simply know how to win baseball games.
