Ex-Orioles closer surprisingly lands a major league deal after 2024 implosion

It's unlikely that anyone was anticipating this news but it's been reported that former Orioles closer and potential future Hall of Fame reliever Craig Kimbrel has latched onto a major league deal for the 2025 season with just a week left before Opening Day.

Overall, Kimbrel has been an exceptional reliever throughout the course of his career. There aren't a ton of relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame but based on the data, Kimbrel has a good a shot as anyone else that'll show up on the ballot in the next 10 years or so.

Even though he was terrific in the first half of 2024, Kimbrel will surely go down as a bust amongst Orioles fans. He completely imploded in the second half, pitching to a 10.59 ERA in 17 innings before being designated for assignment in late September.

Given that most recent performance, along with the fact that he's posted an ERA under 3.00 just once in the last six years, most of us assumed that he might just be done. He's set to turn 37 in a few months and it's unlikely that anyone would have blamed him if he'd chosen to hang up his cleats.

Former Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel signs major league contract with Braves

However, Kimbrel isn't retiring. As reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Kimbrel is going back to Atlanta, the place where he started his career. Rosenthal reports that Kimbrel will make $2 million for the 2025 season.

The righty was a third round draft pick all the way back in 2008 and spent five years pitching for the Braves before being traded away just before hitting free agency.

Kimbrel became a journeyman in the back half of his career, pitching for 5 teams in the most recent 5 years. While he's had stretches of success in that time frame, none of it comes close to matching the outrageous numbers he put up early in his career.

There was a time when Kimbrel was the most feared closer in the sport. Between 2012-2014, Kimbrel pitched to a spectacular 1.27 ERA in 191.1 combined innings. His 50.2% strikeout rate in 2012 was a record, and at the time he was the only reliever to have reached the 50% strikeout threshold in a full season in MLB history. The mark has been matched since, but to this day he's still one of just four pitchers to have ever achieved the feat.

Kimbrel likely won't be closing games for the Braves in the near future, but if he pitches well for a long enough stretch, he could find himself in some high-leverage situations. The Braves certainly do need the bullpen help so even though Kimbrel has some warts, it's a decent risk for Atlanta and one that could potentially pay dividends down the road.