Craig Kimbrel signing with 12th MLB team moves veteran reliever closer to history

Nypost · Aug 09, 2026 · 340 words · By Bryan Fonseca

MLB Transaction History Career Longevity and Decline

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What to know about MLB Transaction History

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Craig Kimbrel is back in the major leagues.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Craig Kimbrel is back in the major leagues.

Why it matters

The well-traveled righty is joining the Royals, who will be his 12th MLB team, according to The Post’s Jon Heyman.

Common ground

Once Kimbrel does get on the mound in Kansas City, he will then have pitched for more organizations than all but five pitchers in MLB history.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this MLB Transaction History story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that was part of a deep run more recently in 2023, where he and the Phillies pushed the Diamondbacks to a seven-game series in the NLCS?
How does this story connect MLB Transaction History with Career Longevity and Decline over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/09/sports/craig-kimbrel-signing-with-12th-mlb-team-af…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

schedule

Claim 1: “was part of a deep run more recently in 2023, where he and the Phillies pushed the Diamondbacks to a seven-game series in the NLCS”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Edwin Jackson and Rich Hill both toed the rubber for 14 teams each”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that Edwin Jackson and Rich Hill share the record of playing for 14 different MLB franchises.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dansville is a village in the town of North Dansville, with a small northern part in the town of Sparta in Livingston County, in western New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village pop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dansville,_Livingston_County,_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Edwin Jackson Jr. (born September 9, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 to 2019 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Devil …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Jackson_(baseball)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Richard Joseph Hill (born March 11, 1980), nicknamed "Dick Mountain", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Hill

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Octavio Dotel and Roosevelt Davis pitched for 13 teams apiece”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Octavio Dotel played for 13 different teams. While Roosevelt Davis is mentioned in one source as having played for 13, Dotel's record is explicitly verified by three different search results.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He played for 13 major league teams, the second-most of any player in history. Dotel spent most of his career as a relief pitcher, including several stints as a closer, during which he recorded 109 sa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Dotel

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dotel pitched for 13 different teams during a 15-year major league career: the New York Mets, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox…
https://web.archive.org/web/20250928045752/https://www.newsw…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco were killed in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse.Over the course of his 15-season career in Major League Baseball, from 1999…
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/who-were-octavio-d…

verified

Claim 4: “Kimbrel, a nine-time All-Star, turned 38 back in May”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Kimbrel is a nine-time All-Star and was born on May 28, 1988, which means he turned 38 in May (of the current year described in the live evidence).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Codi Dalton Heuer ( HOY-ər; born July 3, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Wh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codi_Heuer

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Kimbrel

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ninety-six Major League Baseball All-Star Games have been played since the inaugural game in 1933. The American League (AL) leads the series with a 49–45–2 (.521) record, and a 398–386 run advantage. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 5: “He cleared waivers again on August 6”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

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Claim 6: “with 440 career saves, fifth-most in MLB history”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Kimbrel won a World Series title with Boston in 2018”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 8: “Kimbrel, who has a career ERA of 2.67, has put together a 4.78 ERA across 104 games played with five teams following his last All-Star bid in 2023”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

schedule

Claim 9: “joining the 49-70 Royals, who are 10.5 games out of playoff contention”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 10: “recording top-five finishes in 2012 and 2013 while closing for the Braves”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 11: “He signed with the Rays on May 26 and recorded a 3.06 ERA until he was designated for assignment one day before the trade deadline on August 2”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim contains irrelevant search results about 'Craigslist' and 'Daniel Craig' instead of the baseball player's stats with the Rays.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Craig Newmark began the service in 1995 as an email distribution list to friends, featuring local events in the San Francisco Bay Area. It became a web-based service in 1996 and expanded into other cl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigslist

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 2006, Craig played Bond in Casino Royale, a reboot of the Bond franchise that was favourably received by critics and for which Craig was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Ro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Craig

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web search NEUTRAL — List of all international craigslist.org online classifieds sites
https://www.craigslist.org/about/sites

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Claim 12: “put up a 6.00 ERA with the team, subsequently clearing waivers on May 25 after being designated for assignment days earlier”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia and news sources confirm he had a 6.00 ERA with the Mets, was designated for assignment, and cleared waivers on May 25.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On May 22, Kimbrel was designated for assignment following the promotion of Jonah Tong.[108] He elected free agency after clearing waivers on May 25.[109]. Tampa Bay Rays (2026).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Kimbrel

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel finds new team days after Mets split He initially signed with the Mets on a minor league deal in January and put up a 6.00 ERA with the team, subsequently clearing waive…
https://www.newsbreak.com/trending/top/craig-kimbrel-rejoins…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Kimbrel had a 6.00 ERA in 15 appearances for the Mets. He'll head back to waivers. News: the Mets designated Craig Kimbrel for assignment. Jonah Tong is officially up from Syracuse.
https://www.fantasypros.com/mlb/news/587326/craig-kimbrel-de…

info

Claim 13: “has made 33 major league appearances in relief this season for the Mets and Rays, respectively, the former of whom oversaw 14”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific breakdown of 33 appearances (14 with Mets, 19 with Rays) is only found in one NewsBreak search result. Other evidence confirms he played for both teams but does not provide the specific count.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 142nd season in the history of the franchise, and its 21st season at Citizens Bank Park. They entered the season as the runner-ups of the National League.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Philadelphia_Phillies_sea…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 New York Mets season is the 65th season of the New York Mets in Major League Baseball, their 18th at Citi Field, and their sixth under majority owner Steve Cohen. The Mets will attempt to imp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_New_York_Mets_season

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 14: “He initially signed with the Mets on a minor league deal in January”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Kimbrel signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets in January.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Kimbrel

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The New York Mets continued their busy offseason by bringing in a decorated closer for bullpen depth. Late on Saturday, reliever Craig Kimbrel signed a minor league deal with the Mets that contains a …
https://www.si.com/mlb/mets/onsi/news/new-york-mets-sign-cra…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — New York signed Craig Kimbrel to a minor league deal, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-craig-k…

schedule

Claim 15: “accumulating five seasons where he placed in top-10 of Cy Young voting, the last of which came in 2017 while with the Red Sox”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 16: “The well-traveled righty is joining the Royals, who will be his 12th MLB team”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including Wikipedia and news summaries, confirm Craig Kimbrel joined the Kansas City Royals and that this is his 12th MLB team.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Kansas City Royals season is the 58th season for the franchise, and their 54th at Kauffman Stadium. On June 26, the Royals went on the road and lost to the Chicago White Sox by the score of 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Kansas_City_Royals_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Royals

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.