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Craig Kimbrel is coming home.
According to reports, the Braves and Kimbrel have reached an agreement on a minor league deal, marking his return to the team where he began his career.
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.
Kimbrel, a nine-time All-Star, had a challenging season recently, struggling in the latter part of the year by giving up a .306 batting average and a .978 OPS to his opponents.
Drafted in the third round of the 2008 draft, Kimbrel made his debut in 2010 and had an impressive performance the following year, leading the National League in saves with 46 and clinching the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year award.
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.