While the Braves have been aggressive this offseason reshaping their roster, which included trades of Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, one player not on the move is All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, Braves president of baseball operations John Hart told MLB.com.
"We love our core group," Hart said. "We have added quality players around this group to allow us to compete while strengthening the farm system. We’ve added (Nick) Markakis, (Jason) Grilli, (Jim) Johnson, A.J. (Pierzynski) and others to help us compete this year. We have never entertained trading (Kimbrel) and have had zero conversations with any clubs about Craig. I want him finishing out a World Series win."
Kimbrel, who was NL Rookie of the Year in 2011, was an All-Star for a fourth straight season in 2014. While he was 0-3 last season, he posted a 1.61 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 47 saves in 54 appearances. He is 15-10 with a 1.43 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in five MLB seasons. He has had at least 42 saves the last four seasons.