Current:Home > BackOrioles DFA nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel right before MLB playoffs-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Orioles DFA nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel right before MLB playoffs
View Date:2024-12-24 00:01:19
The Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday cut ties with nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, designating him for assignment and recalling reliever Bryan Baker from the minors.
The move could signal the end of what has been an incredibly successful 15-year career for Kimbrel that saw him pitch for eight different teams.
Signed by the Orioles to a one-year, $13 million contract this offseason, the right-hander had an outstanding first half, entering the All-Star break with 23 saves and a 2.80 ERA in 35 ⅓ innings.
But since then, Kimbrel, 36, has completely imploded. In 17 innings in the second half, he's given up 22 hits and 15 walks, while pitching to a 10.59 ERA.
Kimbrel's situation in Baltimore is eerily similar to what happened last season when he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies – when he signed with a playoff-caliber team the previous winter and thrived as closer for the first half of the season, only to see everything come crumbling down late in the season.
All things Orioles: Latest Baltimore Orioles news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Kimbrel was a National League All-Star with the Phillies in 2023, but blew several saves down the stretch, including Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, when he gave up a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to Arizona's Alex Thomas and ended up taking the loss.
In 2022, Kimbrel served as the Los Angeles Dodgers' closer for most of the season, but struggled down the stretch to the point where he wasn't included on the club's postseason roster.
If this is indeed the end of the line, Kimbrel can reflect on a career that could potentially land him in the Hall of Fame. He led the National League in saves for four consecutive seasons from 2011-2014 as a member of the Atlanta Braves, and his career total of 440 saves places him fifth on the all-time list.
Kimbrel has an overall record of 56-47 and a 2.59 ERA over 809 ⅔ innings with the Braves, Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies and Orioles.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (25)
Related
- Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled for missing 'Contains Milk statement': FDA
- Trinity Rodman plays the hero in USWNT victory over Japan — even if she doesn't remember
- 5 people wounded in overnight shooting, Milwaukee police say
- Olympic gymnastics highlights: Simone Biles wins gold in vault final at Paris Olympics
- Missouri prosecutor says he won’t charge Nelly after an August drug arrest
- Same storm, different names: How Invest 97L could graduate to Tropical Storm Debby
- Idaho prosecutor says he’ll seek death penalty against inmate accused of killing while on the lam
- Olympic medal count: Tallying up gold, silver, bronze for each country in Paris
- Former Disney Star Skai Jackson Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Her Boyfriend
- Sha’Carri Richardson overcomes sluggish start to make 100-meter final at Paris Olympics
Ranking
- Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
- Team USA men's beach volleyball players part ways with coach mid-Games
- Jelly Roll stops show to get chair for cancer survivor: See video
- Hormonal acne doesn't mean you have a hormonal imbalance. Here's what it does mean.
- Armie Hammer Says His Mom Gifted Him a Vasectomy for His 38th Birthday
- Rejuvenated Steelers QB Russell Wilson still faces challenges on path to redemption
- 2024 Olympics: Simone Biles Edges Out Rebeca Andrade for Gold in Women's Vault
- Caeleb Dressel isn't the same swimmer he was in Tokyo but has embraced a new perspective
Recommendation
-
Caitlin Clark has one goal for her LPGA pro-am debut: Don't hit anyone with a golf ball
-
Florida deputy killed and 2 officers wounded in ambush shooting, police say
-
After a Study Found Lead in Tampons, Environmentalists Wonder if Global Metal Pollution Is Worse Than They Previously Thought
-
Would your cat survive the 'Quiet Place'? Felines hilariously fail viral challenge
-
The NBA Cup is here. We ranked the best group stage games each night
-
2024 Olympics: Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik win Bronze in Pommel Horse Final
-
Michigan voters to choose party candidates for crucial Senate race in battleground state
-
3 dead including white supremacist gang leader, 9 others injured in Nevada prison brawl