RHP Craig Kimbrel Designated for Assignment By the Orioles.
Veteran right-hand pitcher Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. The move came following a disastrous outing in a 10-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday that saw Kimbrel allow six earned runs and record just two outs.
Kimbrel joined the Orioles on a one-year, $12 million contract in December. He was expected to step in for injured All-Star closer Felix Bautista and actually performed well in the role early on before falling off a cliff.
For the first half of the season, Kimbrel had a 2.10 ERA and 23 saves. He followed that up with a disastrous stretch in the second half that saw his ERA balloon to 10.59 and failed to get a single save. Overall, he finishes his run with the Orioles with a 5.33 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 57 games.
“We have so much respect for Craig and his career and what he’s done for the game, how long he’s pitched, how long he’s pitched well,” manager Brandon Hyde said about Kimbrel’s DFA. “So it’s never easy to say goodbye to someone that’s done a lot. A heck of a first half for us, helped us win a ton of games. He’s an amazing teammate. He’s incredible in the clubhouse and just a class, class act.”
Kimbrel, who is considered a future Hall of Famer, will likely clean waivers and enter the free-agent market. It is highly unlikely that he will get signed with another team until the offseason, although retirement is also an option, considering he turned 36 in May.
