The Baltimore Orioles designated a reliever for assignment who Philadelphia Phillies fans know all too well. That’s right, Craig Kimbrel is no longer on a 40-man roster, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Orioles signed Kimbrel to a one-year deal before the 2024 season. That move came after a one-year stop in Philadelphia that didn’t end well for the nine-time All-Star.
Phillies fans won’t shed a tear for Craig Kimbrel after Orioles’ ruthless roster move
The Phillies signed Kimbrel before the 2023 season with the hope of getting the player who was dominant for most of his career. The experiment worked in their favor during the first half of last season, but things took a turn for the worse for Kimbrel.
After being named to the ninth All-Star game of his career with the Phillies, Kimbrel fell apart in the second half of the season. He owned a 3.41 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and was a perfect 14-for-14 in save opportunities in 39 appearances before the All-Star break. Batters were hitting .171 against him.
Kimbrel appeared in 32 games in the second half of the season owning a 3-5 record with a 3.09 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He had nine saves in 14 opportunities and batters were hitting .193 against him.
Kimbrel’s regression didn’t end in the second half of the 2023 season. It carried over into the postseason. The right-hander appeared in seven games with the Phillies in the postseason and owned a 6.00 ERA. He allowed six hits, four earned runs, five walks and hit a batter in six innings of work.
The Phillies had a 2-0 series lead in the NLCS over the Arizona Diamondbacks with hopes of making a second World Series appearance in as many years. The score was tied at one heading into the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 3 when Rob Thomson brought Kimbrel into the game. He walked two batters and allowed an infield hit before allowing a walk-off single to Ketel Marte to give the Diamondbacks some life heading into Game 4.
To Phillies fans’ distaste, Thomson turned to Kimbrel in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 4 to try to hold a 5-3 Phillies lead. Kimbrel allowed a leadoff double and then a two-run home run two batters later to tie the game at five. He allowed a single and a hit-by-pitch before being replaced by José Alvarado with two outs in the inning. The Phillies lost that game 6-5 and ultimately lost the series in seven games.
Phillies fans should’ve warned Orioles fans about Craig Kimbrel
Phillies fans were in a state of joy after Kimbrel’s lone season in the City of Brotherly Love came to an end. He found himself in one too many stressful situations and blew one too many games. As if he couldn’t get any worse, he did this year with the Orioles.
Kimbrel had a 5.33 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 52 1/3 innings with the Orioles in 2024. The 36-year-old was 23-for-29 in save opportunities and was only two walks allowed shy of setting a career-high. Batters were hitting .208 against him.
After posting an impressive 0.96 ERA in 10 appearances in June, Kimbrel got worse and worse in the following three months. He posted a 6.52 ERA in July, a 7.27 ERA in August and a 22.09 ERA in four appearances in September. The Orioles stopped using Kimbrel as a closer with his last save opportunity coming on July 25 in a blown save against the Miami Marlins.
Kimbrel’s prime is long behind him. Phillies and Orioles fans will be the first to tell someone that. His days of being a dominant closer are over, and all he’s good for now is causing fans headache after headache.
It remains to be seen if another team will take a chance on the aging reliever. It’s possible that Kimbrel could decide to hang up his cleats after an overall successful career. He’s No. 5 all-time in saves with 440, behind long-time Los Angeles Dodgers closer and now Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen who has 446 career saves.