Braves reunite with Craig Kimbrel on minor league contract

Craig Kimbrel is coming home.The Braves and Kimbrel agreed to a minor league contract, bringing the right-hander back to the organization where he started, according to multiple reports.The deal will pay him $2 million if he reaches the major leagues, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.The Braves’ plan, according to ESPN, is to have Kimbrel ramp up over a few weeks and then move up to join the Atlanta bullpen. Kimbrel, 36, spent the past season with the Orioles but has been a free agent since the ballclub released him in late September. He is expected to start this season in Triple-A Gwinnett. The nine-time All-Star is coming off a season in which he struggled in the second half, allowing a .306 batting average and a .978 OPS to opposing hitters. Taken in the third round of the 2008 draft, Kimbrel debuted during the 2010 season and led the National League in saves with 46 the following year, winning the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year.Kimbrel has career a 2.59 ERA with 440 saves over his 15-year career. He’s won Reliever of the Year (2014 and 2017) in both the NL and AL with the Braves and Red Sox, respectively, and recorded eight seasons of 30-plus saves....