Current:Home > StocksOrioles DFA nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel right before MLB playoffs -OceanicInvest
Orioles DFA nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel right before MLB playoffs
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:44:28
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! (5)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- North Carolina judge rejects RFK Jr.'s request to remove his name from state ballots
- Why you should add sesame seeds to your diet
- Boeing Starliner to undock from International Space Station: How to watch return to Earth
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- USWNT star Alex Morgan announces retirement from soccer, second pregnancy
- Billie Jean King moves closer to breaking another barrier and earning the Congressional Gold Medal
- The Deteriorating Environment Is a Public Concern, but Americans Misunderstand Their Contribution to the Problem
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Rare but deadly mosquito disease has New England hotspots warning against going out at night
Ranking
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Man charged with assault in random shootings on Seattle freeway
- Noah Centineo reveals when he lost his virginity. There's no right age, experts say.
- A 13-foot (and growing) python was seized from a New York home and sent to a zoo
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Former cadets accuse the Coast Guard Academy of failing to stop sexual violence
- Retired DT Aaron Donald still has presence on Rams, but team will 'miss him' in 2024
- Courtroom clash in Trump’s election interference case as the judge ponders the path ahead
Recommendation
Average rate on 30
Get a $48.98 Deal on a $125 Perricone MD Serum That’s Like an Eye Lift in a Bottle
When is the next Mega Millions drawing? $740 million up for grabs on Friday night
Ticketmaster’s pricing for Oasis tickets is under investigation in the UK
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Say Goodbye to Tech Neck and Wrinkles with StriVectin Neck Cream—Now 50% Off
Ruth Harkin memoir shows wit and fortitude of a woman who's made a difference
Group Therapy Sessions Proliferate for People Afflicted With ‘Eco-Distress’