Cubs castoff closer just found a new shot at redemption

Former Chicago Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel made headlines last weekend as he made his return to the Major League level with the Atlanta Braves. It was a short-lived, wholesome moment for Kimbrel and the Braves, as the former All-Star closer was designated for assignment following his lone appearance for Atlanta on Friday afternoon.

As Cubs fans know all too well, Kimbrel, in his current form, isn't the lockdown closer that he once was. However, it's worth mentioning that Kimbrel did pitch a scoreless inning for the Braves before the awkward roster move on Saturday. It's a roster move that former Braves players took issue with.

“That really frustrated me and a lot of the guys in our locker room were very frustrated with it,” former Braves catcher Brian McCann told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.“It was strange to call him up for a day and DFA him. He’s not just a run-of-the-mill reliever who became a journeyman after two or three years in the big leagues. He’s a future Hall of Famer.”

Kimbrel's velocity was noticeably down in his appearance with the Braves last Friday, with his fastball velocity sitting at 91.5 MPH. For context, with the Baltimore Orioles last season, Kimbrel's fastball velocity was at 94. Even that is a noticeable decline from the upper-90s he averaged during his run with the Cubs.

McCann's hurt feelings notwithstanding, it would seem that Kimbrel is approaching the end of the line for his Major League career. However, that doesn't mean he isn't giving it one final try. On Tuesday, Kimbrel inked a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers.

Craig Kimbrel isn't ready to call it quits just yet

The fact that the Cubs did not take a gamble on bringing Kimbrel back into the organization may just speak to the fact that he doesn't have much left in the tank. This season, the signing of Kenta Maeda is loud proof of the Cubs' front office being willing to take a chance on just about any veteran reclamation project not named Kimbrel. While we're here, Maeda has a 13.89 ERA in 4 starts with the Iowa Cubs.