Former Dodgers Closer Craig Kimbrel Reportedly Signs With Orioles
Craig Kimbrel, who saved 22 games in his only season as the Dodgers’ closer in 2022, has signed with the Baltimore Orioles, according to multiple reports. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first with the news.
According to multiple reports, the contract is for one year and $13 million. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported Kimbrel’s contract includes a $12 million base salary for 2024, plus a $1 million buyout or a $13 million club option for 2025.
Kimbrel, 35, is second among active pitchers with 417 career saves. Now, after a bounceback season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023, he’ll have a chance to replace Felix Bautista as the Orioles’ closer.
Bautista is recovering from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to pitch in 2024.
For Kimbrel, it’s quite a turnaround after his only season in Los Angeles. The Dodgers acquired Kimbrel from the Chicago White Sox in a 1-for-1 swap with outfielder AJ Pollock. The trade made sense after longtime closer Kenley Jansen bolted for Atlanta in free agency, but the ending did not go as planned for Kimbrel and the Dodgers.
By September 2022, Kimbrel was accustomed to getting booed off the Dodger Stadium mound (after entering to “Let it Go” from the soundtrack to the Disney movie “Frozen”). Three of his five blown saves came in the final month of the season, prompting Manager Dave Roberts to take a closer-by-committee approach. The right-hander did not appear in the Dodgers’ National League Division series loss to the San Diego Padres.
Kimbrel went 23 for 28 in save opportunities last season with the Philadelphia Phillies, who advanced to the NLCS before losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He lowered his ERA from 3.75 with the Dodgers to 3.26 in the span of one season.
Yet by the NLCS, Kimbrel was up to his old tricks. After going 2-for-2 in save chances through the first two rounds of the postseason, Kimbrel went 0-2 in a memorable seven-game series against Arizona. He converted only one of two save opportunities while allowing four runs in three innings. The Diamondbacks won, advancing to play the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
The Dodgers are scheduled to host the Orioles in a three-game series Aug. 27-29. Will Kimbrel still be closing games by then? Stick around to find out.
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