When Baseball Legends Refuse to Retire: The Strange Final Chapters of Steve Carlton and Craig Kimbrel

The Young Player Watching the Old Legend

Imagine you’re 25 years old. You’ve just made it to Triple-A baseball (that’s the last stop before the major leagues). You’re watching a 44-year-old legend throw practice pitches at spring training.

That was Tim Layana in 1989. He was watching Steve Carlton — a pitcher who had won:

• Four Cy Young Awards (given to the best pitcher each year)
• 329 games in his career
• Pitched for 24 seasons in the major leagues
• Was a guaranteed Hall of Famer

Important Point
Steve Carlton was one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in baseball history. But by 1989, he was clearly "washed up" — his best days were far behind him.

Why Was Carlton There?

Carlton hadn’t been invited to spring training by the Yankees or any other team. He just showed up because:

1. He needed money — his agent had lost tens of millions of Carlton’s dollars in bad investments
2. He’d sued his agent in 1983 for embezzlement (stealing money)
3. No other team wanted him — his last season (1988) with the Twins was terrible: 20 hits, 5 home runs, and 18 earned runs allowed in just 9⅔ innings

The Yankees manager, Dallas Green, let him throw as a favor while Carlton rehabbed from elbow surgery. Carlton was basically auditioning for any team that might need a pitcher.

The Young Player’s Mixed Feelings

Tim Layana said something honest and surprising:

"I guess guys like him and Tommy John and Ron Guidry still have the dream to pitch in the big leagues, like we do who’ve never been there. I mean, they’ve had their time, now step aside and give somebody else a chance. But I can understand their desire. If I could still throw at their age, I’d wanna be competitive and try to get people out, too."

Layana felt resentful — Carlton was taking a spot that could go to a younger player. But he also understood the desire to keep playing.

Carlton’s Sad Final Years

Between 1986–1988, Carlton pitched for six different teams:

• Philadelphia
• San Francisco
• Chicago White Sox
• Cleveland
• Minnesota (twice)

He wasn’t the dominant pitcher anymore. He was just "a guy who sopped up some soggy innings for variously aimless teams."

Even the 1987 World Series champion Twins left him off the playoff roster. He walked more batters than he struck out.

Fun fact: Carlton’s 1987 World Series ring went up for auction online in 2014.

Fast Forward to 2025: Enter Craig Kimbrel

Now let’s talk about Craig Kimbrel. Comparing him to Carlton is tricky:

But here’s the similarity: Both are all-time greats having messy, drawn-out endings.

Kimbrel’s Impressive Peak

Before the decline, Kimbrel was incredible:

• Rookie of the Year at age 23
• 7-time All-Star by age 30
• One of the most dominant closers ever
• 2017 season: One of the best relief pitching seasons in history
• 2018: Closer for the World Series champion Red Sox

The "Plinko Chute" of an Endgame

Since 2018, Kimbrel has pitched for 10 different teams in 8 seasons. When he debuted with the Royals in 2025, it was his third team of that year alone.

The article calls this a "Plinko chute" — like the game show where a chip bounces randomly down a board. He’s bouncing from team to team.

Important Point
Unlike Carlton, Kimbrel doesn’t have financial troubles forcing him to play. He’s choosing this path.

The Weird Thing About Kimbrel’s Stuff

Here’s what makes Kimbrel’s situation fascinating:

1. His pitches still look nasty — the movement, spin, and "stuff" are still there
2. But they’re slower now — velocity has dropped
3. They don’t "cohere" — the traits are there, but they don’t work together like they used to
4. Smart teams keep trying to fix him — the Mets, Rays, and others have signed him hoping to unlock his old magic
5. Then they cut him — because it doesn’t work in games

As Baseball Prospectus put it: "Stuff models still like what they see, but they don’t worry about where the plate is."

Translation: His pitches look great on computer models, but he can’t consistently throw strikes anymore.

The 12-Team Club

Kimbrel just joined the Royals — his 12th major league team. He joins a rare club of players who’ve played for 12+ teams, including:

• Ron Villone
• Matt Stairs
• Mike Morgan

What Kimbrel Says About It All

Kimbrel sounds surprisingly positive:

"I’m not throwing 100, but my stuff’s still there." (March 2025)

"It’s been fun, actually. Getting to know the game in a little different light. Getting to talk to guys who are on their way up. Spent a lot of time in Triple-A last year. Getting to see the game through that lens."

Key fact: Kimbrel spent much of 2025 in Triple-A at age 37. Steve Carlton refused to go to the minors even at the end.

His stats since 2024: 4.78 ERA in 104 appearances — not good for a closer, but he keeps getting chances.

The Hall of Fame Question

Will this hurt Kimbrel’s Hall of Fame chances?

• Kenny Lofton (great player) may have been hurt by bouncing between 6 teams at the end
• Closers’ Hall of Fame cases are always "vibe-heavy" — based on feelings and peak dominance
• Every grueling 9-pitch walk in a new uniform might make voters hesitate

But the article argues: That’s not the most interesting part.

The Real Story: Why Do They Keep Going?

Tim McCarver (Carlton’s former catcher) explained Carlton’s mindset perfectly in 1988:

"To a great degree, he feels superhuman. He refuses to think like other mortals. It’s not in his makeup to ever consider things in realistic, practical fashion. Everybody says, ‘If I were in his shoes, I’d quit.’ But if you’re not in his shoes, you don’t understand how he thinks. Part of the things that made him great are part of the things that are making him hang on. He may regret it 10 years from now. But I can’t regret it for him now."

The same is true for Kimbrel:

• The obsessive competitiveness that made him great
• The refusal to accept decline
• The belief that one more adjustment will fix it
• These are the same traits that now make him hang on

Summary

• Steve Carlton (1989): 44, broke, out of gas, refusing to quit, taking a young player’s spot
• Craig Kimbrel (2025): 37, financially secure, still has "stuff" but can’t command it, choosing to bounce between MLB and Triple-A
• Both driven by: The same superhuman competitiveness that made them legends
• The uncomfortable truth: We watch them decline, but we can’t fully understand why they keep going — because we’ve never been in their shoes
• Kimbrel’s twist: He says he’s "having fun" mentoring young players in Triple-A — and he might actually mean it

FAQ

Why did Steve Carlton keep pitching when he was clearly terrible?

Carlton had lost tens of millions of dollars due to his agent’s embezzlement and bad investments. He needed the money, so he kept auditioning for teams even when nobody wanted him.

Is Craig Kimbrel in the same financial situation?

No. The article explicitly states there’s "no apparent Carlton-style financial precarity." Kimbrel is choosing to keep playing because he wants to, not because he has to.

What does "stuff" mean in baseball?

"Stuff" refers to the quality of a pitcher’s pitches — velocity, spin rate, movement, and deception. Good "stuff" means the ball does things that make it hard to hit. Kimbrel’s "stuff" still grades well on computers, but he can’t control it in games.

Why do teams keep signing Kimbrel if he’s been bad?

Smart teams (like the Rays and Mets) believe they can fix him. His underlying pitch data (spin, movement) still looks elite. They think a mechanical tweak or role change might unlock his old form. So far, none have succeeded.

Will bouncing between teams hurt Kimbrel’s Hall of Fame chances?

Possibly. Kenny Lofton’s case may have been hurt by his late-career team-hopping. Closers’ Hall of Fame cases rely heavily on "peak dominance vibes," and watching Kimbrel struggle in 12 different uniforms could dilute that narrative for voters.

What’s the "Plinko chute" reference?

Plinko is a game from The Price Is Right where a chip bounces randomly down a pegboard. The author uses it as a metaphor for Kimbrel’s unpredictable, bouncing path from team to team in his late 30s.