Atlanta, GA
Former Baltimore Orioles Flop Signs Deal With NL Powerhouse Atlanta Braves
When Felix Bautista underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, the Baltimore Orioles knew they needed to address their bullpen for the 2024 season.
Without one of the best closers in the sport, ensuring they had a viable option to finish games for them became a top priority for Mike Elias.
He decided to hand Craig Kimbrel a one-year, $13 million deal to be their stopgap solution, which was the most lucrative contract the general manager had handed out to that point of his tenure.
Despite the poor ending to the right-hander’s time with the Philadelphia Phillies, he was still coming off an All-Star season where he produced a 3.26 ERA and ERA+ that was 32 points above the league average across his 71 outings, going 23-for-28 in save opportunities.
Unfortunately, the Orioles didn’t get that version of Kimbrel.
He started off the year great, entering the All-Star break with a 2.80 ERA in 39 outings, but when the season resumed following the Midsummer Classic, things went off the rails.
Kimbrel’s ERA ballooned to 10.59 ERA in his 18 appearances after the hiatus, and Baltimore eventually released him in late-September after designating him for assignment.
Now, the future Hall of Famer has been given another chance with a familiar team, signing a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves, the team that took him in the third round of the 2008 draft, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Kimbrel took the baseball world by storm almost immediately.
He made 21 appearances during his first year in 2010, but it was after that when he made a name for himself.
During his four full seasons with the Braves, the righty won the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year Award, made four All-Star teams from 2011-14, finished top 10 in NL Cy Young voting four times and in the top five twice, while also leading the National League in saves four times in a row.
At 36 years old, he’s not that type of pitcher anymore, but Kimbrel will be looking to have a strong season with his original team, hoping he can make the Major League roster and be a contributor at some point in 2025.
The Atlanta Braves have another option on the free-agent market. In a surprise decision, the Chicago Cubs and starting pitcher Shota Imanaga both opted to reject options on his contract. The Cubs chose not to exercise his three-year option, and he declined his option for next year.
Starting pitching is a key need for the Braves this offseason, and Imanage could be a splash edition.
Welcome to Atlanta Braves on SI‘s offseason series, “Realistic Option for Braves?” where we evaluate if a free agent could realistically choose Atlanta this winter. To see the previous edition discussing Ryan O’Hearn, click here.
Imanaga shot onto the scene during the 2024 season. He pitched three scoreless outings to get his career starts en route to an All-Star nod. He finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
He didn’t have quite the follow-up, but he still had a 3.73 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 25 starts this season. Imanaga saw his strikeout rate drop, and his home runs allowed increased over fewer innings. Overall, he’s been a solid rotation arm in the two seasons he’s been in MLB. From the perspective of a quality addition, Imanaga is exactly that.
While there is plenty of upside to his addition, there are some downsides. A major one is health, and that should be a major sticking point for the Braves when evaluating additions. He missed time with a left hamstring injury. Ultimately, it cost him four starts and about 30 innings compared to the previous season.
It should be noted that this is his only stint on the injured list so far. Otherwise, he’s been fine in that regard. So, unless there is a worry that this could become a lingering issue, this shouldn’t be a deciding factor.
His contract could be. Spotrac projects his value to be around $30.4 million for four years ($121.6 million. It’s hard to see the Braves handing that contract to a 32-year-old pitcher. It would make him the highest-paid player on the team. They very well could, but that’s what makes it more unlikely than anything.
When they have to figure out other holes, such as shortstop, designated hitter and closer, that’s going to make a single contract that large tough. If they could get a deal done that is closer to $22 million, that might change things.
What does help is that he’s not a Scott Boras client. That could incline the Braves to go the route of pursuing Imanaga compared to other starting pitching options.
Much of this will come down to the Braves willingness to spend compared to last offseason more than anything. If they are, Imanaga can be ruled as a realistic option for the Braves to bolster the rotation. It’s far from a guarantee, but he’s a realistic addition.
More From Atlanta Braves on SI
Atlanta, GA
Flight delays, cancellations continue to pile up at Atlanta airport during government shutdown
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Flight delays and cancellations continue to pile up at the world’s busiest airport.
There were at least 128 reported on Monday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
It prompted travelers to sound off about the government shutdown, which is to blame.
“So far, I haven’t experienced any personal delays, but anybody that works should get paid, and the frustration that these people must have has to be astronomic. How do you support your families, how do you buy groceries and that what not,” traveler John Nichols said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a surge in air traffic controllers calling out last Friday strained staffing at many airports and led to flight delays nationwide.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy discussed the issue during a nationally televised interview.
“I think it’s only going to get worse,” Duffy said. “We have controllers who – some of them are new controllers. We have trainee controllers who are very helpful in the tower. They don’t make a lot of money.”
Duffy said some controllers have called in sick in protest, while others are taking time off to work other jobs while not getting paid.
Atlanta News First spoke with two flight attendants on Monday about the ongoing issue.
“How long is it fair to expect them to show up at a job that they’re not getting paid for? How long is it reasonable for them to start looking for compensation elsewhere? And I think that it’s something that we are feeling as air crew every single day,” Delta flight attendant Kara Wargo said.
RELATED COVERAGE: Some Delta flight attendants once again pushing to unionize
“What’s happening right now must stop,” said Keturah Johnson, vice president of the Association of Flight Attendants International. “And for those people who are frustrated when they’re waiting in line in TSA, you know what, call your congresspeople.”
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Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – DeKalb County police are investigating after a man was shot while he was sitting in his car on Sunday.
Around 2:45 p.m., officers responded to Wesley Chapel Square in the 2300 block of Wesley Chapel Road for a report of someone shot. Upon arrival, officers found a man with minor injuries from a shooting, and he was taken to the hospital.
The man said he was sitting in his car when another car pulled up and shot him.
This is an ongoing investigation. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.
Anyone with information can send an anonymous tip through the free DeKalb County PD (Tip411) app or by texting “DKPD” to 847411, followed by the tip.
Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.
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