Orioles make stunning roster move, designate Craig Kimbrel for assignment

On Wednesday afternoon, the Orioles made the surprising decision to designate former All Star closer Craig Kimbrel for assignment. Kimbrel was outstanding in the first half of the year, narrowly missing out on what would have been his 10th All Star appearance.

Unfortunately Kimbrel has completely collapsed in the second half, pitching to a 10.59 ERA with a dismal 6.70 FIP since the All Star break. Things came to a head in Baltimore last night after the right hander once again choked in a low leverage spot.

Kimbrel came to the mound with the Orioles trailing 4-0 to the Giants. After getting Patrick Bailey to strike out swinging, Kimbrel gave up 6 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks and let the Giants blow the game wide open. The final two of those runs allowed were on a single with Matt Bowman on the mound but Kimbrel was still responsible for the runners on base.

Regardless of his recent performance, it's still a surprise to see the Orioles move on from the former star closer. GM Mike Elias signed Kimbrel to a 1-year, $13 million contract this offseason. This late in the year, the Orioles won't be on the hook for much money, as they've already paid out the vast majority of it.

But the bullpen as a whole has struggled and Kimbrel was one of the few relievers on the roster with any postseason experience. Yes, Kimbrel completely choked in last year's playoffs with the Phillies but the Orioles will now run with a largely untested squad of relievers who haven't been pitching well of late.

Orioles fed up with Craig Kimbrel's failures, choose to DFA the former All Star

For now, the Orioles have added right hander Bryan Baker to the 40-man. Baker will join the team in Baltimore ahead of Wednesday night's matchup with the Giants.

Baker has been iffy with the Orioles this year, pitching to a 4.71 ERA, though with a more encouraging 3.55 FIP. He hasn't been a strikeout guy, posting a below average 22% K-rate in his 21 innings this year.

As for Kimbrel, it'll be interesting to see where he ends up. One has to assume that another team will claim him, if only to see if there are quick changes that can be made ahead of a postseason run.

One large problem for Kimbrel seems to be a significant dip in his velocity. Once touted as a guy who would throw triple digits, he's posted the lowest fastball velocity of his entire career in 2024. Kimbrel was successful when he threw in the upper 90's, and even when he was throwing 95-96.

However, the veteran has been sitting 93-94 and dropping into the low-90's on nights where he's stretched out. At that speed, Kimbrel can't throw his fastball past anyone and batters are taking advantage of it.

In the rare scenario where Kimbrel passes through waivers, it's likely that he'll elect free agency rather than accept the minor league assignment. His days in an Orioles uniform are almost certainly over. Unfortunately for O's fans, it's in a much more unceremonious fashion than anyone would have liked.