Just-In: The Orioles, No Going Back on a Deal with a Nine-Time All-Star Pitcher for a Revamp

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Orioles are “seriously engaged” in free-agent reliever Craig Kimbrel. As they seek to compensate for the loss of Félix Bautista to Tommy John surgery, Baltimore has been involved in a number of late-game bullpen arms.

Kimbrel would not be as notable a signing as Josh Hader or Jordan Hicks, both of whom Baltimore is said to have interested in. Kimbrel, on the other hand, would be a lot more inexpensive acquisition. That’s due to his age (36 in May) more than performance, as the nine-time All-Star put in a strong effort for the Phillies.

After inking a $10M free-agent contract with Philadelphia last winter, Kimbrel operated in his customary closing role. He picked up 23 saves with seven more holds while blowing only five leads in the regular season. The right-hander worked to a 3.26 ERA through 69 innings, striking out a little over a third of opponents in the process. Kimbrel’s fastball sat in the customary 96 mph range, while he picked up a whiff on nearly 14% of his offerings.

It was a good season overall, even if it ended on a less resounding note. Kimbrel allowed four runs with five strikeouts and walks apiece over six innings in the postseason. It was the second consecutive season that didn’t end as he’d hoped; Kimbrel had been left off the Dodgers’ playoff roster in 2022. Yet his overall body of work over the past three years — a 3.10 ERA with a 34.4% strikeout percentage across 188 2/3 innings — is quite strong.

With the probable exception of Hader, no pitcher could be expected to match what the Orioles would have expected from a healthy Bautista. Kimbrel, on the other hand, remains an above-average reliever who clearly enjoys pitching in the ninth inning. If the Orioles used him as a closer for a season, they’d be able to retain Yennier Cano and Danny Coulombe on the bench.