Former Orioles All-Star immediately DFA'd by Mets after explosive NSFW interview

This former Orioles relievers' meltdown on Wednesday was a sight to behold, but also cost him his job.

Sep 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Jorge Lopez (73) walks off the field after the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Jorge Lopez (73) walks off the field after the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

For about a little over half of the 2022, the Baltimore Orioles had one of the better relievers in baseball in Jorge Lopez. In those 44 appearances, he posted a 1.68 ERA and made the All-Star Game before Baltimore traded him to the Twins in the deal that netted them Cade Povich (that worked out well) among others.

The bulk of the rest of his career, he has been a below average to bad reliever/starter that has bounced around from organization to organization, playing parts of nine seasons in the big leagues. His latest stop came with the Mets, although the events of Wednesday night flipped his tenure into the past tense.

After the Mets bullpen got torched by the Dodgers on Wednesday (including Lopez), he angrily threw his glove into the stands as he left the game. When asked about the incident after the game, not only did he not regret it, but Lopez also decided that that was the moment to blast his entire team, as well as his own performance.

For Lopez, the fallout was swift, kinda sad, and pretty hilarious.

Jorge Lopez loses job with Mets after angry post-game tirade against his team

Immediately following Lopez's rant, there was a bit of confusion as to whether or not Lopez ACTUALLY blasted the Mets, as English isn't Lopez's first language and there was a bit of ambiguity in the audio. Gelb is a pro and a reliable reporter, but it was theoretically possible that there was a miscommunication. However, that possibility went by the wayside when MLB dot com beat reporter Anthony DiComo followed up to get clarification.

Unsurprisingly, Lopez's rant didn't go over well with the Mets or their front office. If he was on a long-term deal, he almost certainly still would have faced discipline from the team. However, given that he was on a one-year deal and had fringe value on a Mets team that already isn't very good, the team's decision to DFA Lopez and get him out of that clubhouse was as straightforward as they come.

It is a potentially sad end for a guy that gave the Orioles quite the run in 2022 and who the team thought enough of to bring back last year for a little while, even if it didn't work out. After last night, however, Lopez may have to wait a bit longer for his next opportunity anywhere, as he didn't do himself any favors when it comes to his character and fitting into a clubhouse.

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