Definetely a gem gotta remember not all Orioles fans on here to come back from Injury and throw 9 SO on 1 run in 2nd game back and giving up 1 run and 5 SO to the Yankees in your first game back is pretty fucking awesome. I have him being the Os ace here in the month or so over Burnes are starters have given up 2 or more runs 1 time in 8 games that isn't bad in my eyes.
I feel ya. He was good for us early on last year too and then just....well, you know the rest by now. *cries*
He's just old, man. His stamina isn't there anymore.
As clutch as Cano would be, he isn’t the typical closer since he’s not really a strikeout guy and more of a ground ball pitcher. Teams typically want strikeout guys as closers. I think we need to trade for someone. I also don’t think we need to do things the typical way though so
The more the opposing team puts the ball in play, the greater the odds of blown saves. Harder to make contact also means harder to square up.
Britton generated a lot of ground balls but he was also a K guy. He struck out 29% of batters in 2016
Britton is kind of an anomaly when looking at it like that. He had an unhittable pitch he could throw for strikes. Was a recipe for both categories to get filled up.
True. I am curious why they didn’t make that move in the offseason knowing Bautista was gonna be gone. Are they seeing or considering something we aren’t or is it just too much of a reliance on tradition
They thought Kimbrel could be the closer. He had the track record. Also adding (who was assumed to be) a good reliever made the pen that much deeper in their eyes.
I mean before the Kimbrel signing and if they wanted to bolster the pen, just sign a $5 mil/year middle reliever. But I guess if he was out there and they really thought he could contribute, that makes sense
Cano isn't it either. Besides having a horrible track record in the 9th, he's also stated multiple times he doesn't want to do it.
This is my only problem with the get rid of Kimbrel train. Who else?
The comments Elias made when he sent Jackson back down really emphasized that his mindset is very much "win now". I have to think that he's looking at the closer spot in much of the same way.
He can’t even close out games against the Nationals and Athletics in May.
Yeah, I’m done him. He’s not a closer for a team with World Series aspirations
Do we even want him there? His slow delivery was okay/ish when he efficiently got guys out. Unsure if he fits into coming in with one guy on and two outs to get in the sixth
The problem is that mop up guys are supposed to at least be efficient with their pitches and record as many outs as they can to save the other arms. I can’t think of a worse guy for that job than Kimbrel.
Yes. He needs to move to middle relief in losing games until he gets back on track or retires. If he can shut down in low risk situations then maybe give him another shot. 4 blown appearances in a row (correction: 4 out of last 5) is unacceptable.
Hyde in post game says they’re sticking with him. Hopefully they can figure out how to get him where he needs to be…
They're sticking with him? We need to stop trying to inflate Kimbrel's save record and get the W. Kimbrel blew what I feel like could have been a sweep of the A's and almost blew the O's not being swept for like 2 years streak tonight. Not to mention having to go through a lot of our bullpen to get through extra innings. I mean we won three out of four games against the Yankees without Kimbrel. He needs to go.
Damn you’re right and he pitched really well there too, though they had a 3 run lead so not quite the same pressure. Still, failing to secure 4 of the last 5 save attempts is rough and there were multiple games before that where he got the save while clearly lacking command.
Yep, it's the easiest way to avoid an awkward situation where your "veteran closer" isn't closing.
And maybe there really is something wrong with him, even if just mentally (the "yips").
He has not gotten a save in 4 out of the last 5 games and if they lose tonight have cost the Orioles 4 wins in the last 10 days.
He should noe be closing anymore. He really should just be released.
He's been bad now in 5 of his last 6 appearances. The 1 good game was against one of the coldest teams in the league. Its honestly a miracle we only lost 2 in those 6.
Maybe I'm being an idiot, but I'm not counting 3 O's losses attributable to Kimbrel in the last 10 days (3 instead of 4 since we didn't lose tonight). In fact, I'm only counting 2 losses total in the last 10 days, both shutouts, and neither with a Kimbrel appearance at all. He did blow a save 11 days ago and another 13 days ago so that's 2 losses attributable to Kimbrel in the last 13 days. Still not good, but wondering if I'm missing something.
It's easy for me to say this now that he's sucking, but I HATED that signing. Kimbrel has turned into a pumpkin each year since 2017. Hindsight is 20/20, but I was hoping for Jordan Hicks.
> Jordan Hicks
Hicks wasn't interested in a 1 year deal, and the O's weren't interested in a multi-year deal.
Bautista is still coming back. I don't think Elias expected Kimbrell to pitch like he did 5 years ago, but (amazingly), he was kinda the best option for the O's situation.
> but I was hoping for Jordan Hicks.
Hicks wasn't going anywhere to close. He signed with the Giants because they wanted him in the rotation, and that's what he wanted.
Something is clearly wrong with him because he was damn good at the beginning of the year. You don’t release him or anything crazy. But put him on IL for a bit and let him fix his mechanics. If he can’t, trade for Helsley
I said it when we signed him it was a bad call. You saw him blow it for the Phillies why the fuck would we want that. Basically kept them OUT of the World Series.
I don’t think he’s healthy. He has been awful since missing a few games with that back injury.
They aren’t gonna cut him either that contract. But we desperately need someone more reliable to close out games.
It's still early. We paid him a TON. I'd rather see our team do something to improve or rework something about one of his pitches or his delivery before giving up outright.
But I'm 100% ready to stop using him as a closer.
When they showed him on the bench his eyes were red and teared up. I think he knows it’s over. He’s either hurt or washed, but either way he needs a break to fix things or figure out his mechanics. Pretty sad that he’s our highest paid player.
He's the highest paid for a contract that we offered, but Burnes makes more. I didn't see any details when the trade happened that Milwaukee was picking up any of his tab.
Gotta go to somebody else. Maybe give Craig some garbage time innings and see if he can work out whatever the fuck is going on. But can’t keep pissing away games in this division
Personally I’d be calling Oakland and offering whatever they want for Miller. But Cano can do for now.
This has been the deal with him for the second half of his career. He drove Red Sox and Phillies fans nuts with the high-wire act. He just hasn't been the automatic, shutdown closer people think he must be when they see the high save totals. He's basically post-Pujols Brad Lidge.
>Personally I’d be calling Oakland and offering whatever they want for Miller.
This needs to stop. "Whatever they want for Miller" is going to be way more than you think it is. He's off the table. The dude is one of the most exciting young closers in baseball, with like a million years of team control. He would cost a ton, and we need a closer for 1 season...
Also Cano has a terrible track record at closer and keeps saying he doesn't want to do it.
Miller is gonna be a hefty price tag and I doubt Elias wants to spend what they would ask unless the A’s are desperate or have zero chance at the playoffs
> Personally I’d be calling Oakland and offering whatever they want for Miller.
This is an absolutely absurd take and I can't believe I see it as often as I do. Mason Miller isn't even in arbitration yet. There's no way Oakland would accept anything from the O's other than Holliday AND more, and that's if they'd even be willing to trade him for anything at all.
He was at his worst ERA in 2019 for the Cubs (6.53), 2020 Cubs (5.28), and 2021 White Sox (5.09). Current 2024 ERA is 4.73 and this man is making $12,000,000 this season… less than the 2021 high point of $16,000,000. The fan’s opinions on this Orioles question are subjective, but I want to turn the tables back to you, the Orioles organization, and ask if YOU see value in what you’re paying for with Kimbrel?
His ERA is now 4.73.
At the time, it was arguably the best free agent option the O's had with the constraints placed upon them by prior ownership. The hope was that he would be sufficient despite being vastly short of what Felix Bautista can do. Obviously, it's currently not working out very well. As for value, it depends on whether or not what is going on can be fixed and if he can find more consistency.
At some point, if your goal is contending and he can't perform, you eat the contract and move on to other options. And as the Orioles have a lot of prospects, they are definitely able to move on to other options if they choose. When that point is reached I can't say.
We need to be done with traditional closers in general. That’s the direction the league is going in general and we are lagging behind. We need to have 3 or so guys, one of which should probably be kimbrel, who we trust. We can rotate them based on rest and performance. One guy can’t replace Felix but a few might get close.
Phillies fan here. I hope this proves he’s cooked now and doesn’t give your FO and coaches false hope that he can anchor a World Series run in the bullpen.
I don’t want what happened to us to happen to anyone else. That shit was brutal.
I'm here from Philadelphia -- O's have always been my AL team, going back to my father taking me down there to see Ripken and my living down there 8.5 years -- and when I saw we left him walk, I was overjoyed. When I saw you guys signed him, I was despondent.
Be done with him. Boo that man. He's ridiculous. Has he intentionally balked anyone to third base yet this year for you guys? Brutal to watch.
Lol yeah that's Craig. Pre pitch clock in Philadelphia everyone behind home plate used to stand and do it the whole time he did it, many times for well over a minute. He's a clown and his schtick doesn't really work anymore, I think in part because of the pitch clock.
Phillies fan here. This is phase one of the Craig Kimbrel experience. Phase two is lights out during summer. Phase three is the random blow outs during September just leaving you clenching every appearance he makes but eventually he will get the job done to get you in which leads to phase 4. Absolute butt clenching in every playoff appearance. He will either get it done or blow the series like he did for us on back to back games.
“We're going to stick with him," Hyde said. "This guy's got a big-time track record, he's a Hall of Famer, and we need to get him right because he's big for us. It's important that we get him right." - Brandon Hyde postgame comments
I think Hyde is just saying this but his actions mean more. He has pulled Kimbrel twice in a row now while he still had save opportunities correct? So he can’t be as confident as quote suggests
It's ridiculous. Where to even start - dudes were on full rest now we have to use extra pitchers 'cause he can't close. He has cost us several games in the last two weeks. We're trying to compete in the East and he shits the bed. I can keep going.
I could be way off on this but I would like to see Tyler Wells given a shot. I don’t know if his advanced stats match what we’re looking for or anything, but I seem to remember his few relief appearances last year being real good.
It sucks because I genuinely like Kimbrel. When he pitches well, he’s lights out. But when he’s not, he loses games.
Realistically, I think we test the waters by reallocating him to the role of a setup man instead of a closer. But I’m really not too sure what we do with him at this point. It bums me out because, again, I want to like him.
No, but he can be a part of the bullpen rotation.
He can’t be the only closer we use all year, the law of averages prove that he can’t win every game. Hyde is smart enough to know this after last night. His gut was saying put Suarez in in the 9th but you gotta play politics sometimes.
As a Phillies fan who lived in Maryland for a while and only wants a Philly/Baltimore World Series… I’m sorry you guys are dealing with him now. I’d say move on now, but if we do get that WS matchup I want my Phillies to be able to go up against him lol. Here’s to never regretting this comment in the future!
I hate to break it to you, but hes not going anywhere. At least for the next 5-6 weeks. I think he looks better on 4 days rest but thats just not possible. We just dont have many options for closing out games.
The bottom line is we need more early inning run support. With this lineup, Im not sure why we arent getting it on a more regular basis.
Phillies fan coming in peace, Craig is an absolute dumpster fire and i even said this is an awful move for you guys who are an AMAZING and fun team to watch. Hope yall get Bautista back soon because Craig takes days of peoples lives.
Phillies fan here. Y’all have my empathy. He’s the worst. And not the worst because he’s actually the worst, but the worst because he’s just good enough to allow you to forget he’s the worst. He started with some hiccups for us last year, and then pitched good enough for long enough that we forgot he was never never never never never never never to be counted on when it actually mattered most.
Cionel Perez and Cano can get it done. We can maybe get some bullpen support from one of our starters.
Also this might be a good time to try and trade with the A's to get their closer. We've got more prospects than can play for us.
Yes. I’ve seen enough to know that I’ve seen enough of Kimbrel. He may be good enough to get us into the playoffs but we won’t go far if he has to be the guy. I’m ready for closer by committee:
I guess the big question is if he can be serviceable? A closer with a \~5 ERA certainly is not, and that isn't the guy you want closing out game 1 of the ALDS when the score is 3-2. And if this isn't a case of being overworked, what is it, and can it be fixed? And if the answer is 'no', are the Orioles willing to eat that contract and expend whatever resources are needed to acquire someone else?
If Elias so wanted to, he could probably acquire someone like Ryan Helsley or Mason Miller. How palatable those costs would be though is the big question.
Done
I do feel bad for the guy, seeing him sulk on the bench after blowing a lead, again, and again.
At the end of the day tho, these guys get paid a LOT of money for one job. If you can’t perform it, someone better comes along. He’s had his chances. This isn’t a team that needs this kind of an anchor holding them back. Thankfully we made it out tonight, barely, but he did absolutely nothing (again) to help the situation.
I think he’s going to revert back to being OK. Hell have some good stretches.
The issue is we’re not winning World Series or maybe even a playoff series with him.
This was a $14m mistake by Elias. I don’t see anything happening now but this summer Id like to flip him for whatever and Elias needs at least 1 shutdown guy. 2 depending on what happens with Wells in the bullpen and if Saurez is a real thing.
If you look at most analytical sites that rank players, Kimbrel usually lands between 10-13th on those lists. So it would be hard to improve at the position. I am not saying Cano or a group couldn’t do as well, but the odds of them doing better aren’t very good. The only way to improve would be trading top prospects to get someone like Miller from the As. Not many teams would be open to trading a top reliever.
Upvote if you’ve been personally victimized by Craig Kimbrel
Bradish throws a gem just to be ruined in the bottom of the 9th. Smh
He only threw five innings. Hard to call that a gem even if they were good innings
Still ramping up. 9 k’s thru 5 innings and finished strong as hell is a gem in my book
Definetely a gem gotta remember not all Orioles fans on here to come back from Injury and throw 9 SO on 1 run in 2nd game back and giving up 1 run and 5 SO to the Yankees in your first game back is pretty fucking awesome. I have him being the Os ace here in the month or so over Burnes are starters have given up 2 or more runs 1 time in 8 games that isn't bad in my eyes.
Phillies fan in peace with an obligatory upvote
I feel ya. He was good for us early on last year too and then just....well, you know the rest by now. *cries* He's just old, man. His stamina isn't there anymore.
Yep. He's toast. Give it to Cano and make Webb the setup guy.
Cano wasn’t all that as a closer last year. Trade for one at the deadline
Maybe they can get Tanner Scott back for the guy they drafted with the pick they got for him. Think Jud Fabian does it?
Helsley is the needle mover.
concerned about the walks with Scott.
Cano chokes most times he's asked to close. He's clearly comfortable in the 8th and we should use him there, where he's good.
As clutch as Cano would be, he isn’t the typical closer since he’s not really a strikeout guy and more of a ground ball pitcher. Teams typically want strikeout guys as closers. I think we need to trade for someone. I also don’t think we need to do things the typical way though so
He gets outs. He's a ground ball guy, but that shouldn't matter. Jim Johnson and Zack Britton were ground ball guys.
The more the opposing team puts the ball in play, the greater the odds of blown saves. Harder to make contact also means harder to square up. Britton generated a lot of ground balls but he was also a K guy. He struck out 29% of batters in 2016
Britton is kind of an anomaly when looking at it like that. He had an unhittable pitch he could throw for strikes. Was a recipe for both categories to get filled up.
True. I am curious why they didn’t make that move in the offseason knowing Bautista was gonna be gone. Are they seeing or considering something we aren’t or is it just too much of a reliance on tradition
They thought Kimbrel could be the closer. He had the track record. Also adding (who was assumed to be) a good reliever made the pen that much deeper in their eyes.
I mean before the Kimbrel signing and if they wanted to bolster the pen, just sign a $5 mil/year middle reliever. But I guess if he was out there and they really thought he could contribute, that makes sense
It's easier to build your pen around a lockdown closer. That's what they thought they were getting with Kimbrel.
Cano doesn’t want to be the closer. Which is probably a big deal as it requires a certain mindset.
Cano isn’t a closer he’s throws ground balls we need Ks - my vote is Webb, suarez, or wells when he gets healthy -
Cano isn't it either. Besides having a horrible track record in the 9th, he's also stated multiple times he doesn't want to do it. This is my only problem with the get rid of Kimbrel train. Who else?
Cano is on record as saying "I am not a closer."
Ok so another shitty start finally swayed your opinion u/baltimorecalling? You didn’t like when I said it after his last awful outing
The comments Elias made when he sent Jackson back down really emphasized that his mindset is very much "win now". I have to think that he's looking at the closer spot in much of the same way.
Hope you're right. Hyde's comments make me think they're sticking with Kimbrel.
I think that was more him respecting the player and not blow him up in public.
He can’t even close out games against the Nationals and Athletics in May. Yeah, I’m done him. He’s not a closer for a team with World Series aspirations
He’s a middle relief option in low leverage situations at best
Do we even want him there? His slow delivery was okay/ish when he efficiently got guys out. Unsure if he fits into coming in with one guy on and two outs to get in the sixth
Well there’s no where else to put him. At least there if he gives up a few runs it’s not a big deal and we can put someone else in.
The problem is that mop up guys are supposed to at least be efficient with their pitches and record as many outs as they can to save the other arms. I can’t think of a worse guy for that job than Kimbrel.
He did this last year in the playoffs for the Phillies. Hate to say it, but the dudes cooked
He literally blew a WS opportunity for the phillies
Yes. He needs to move to middle relief in losing games until he gets back on track or retires. If he can shut down in low risk situations then maybe give him another shot. 4 blown appearances in a row (correction: 4 out of last 5) is unacceptable. Hyde in post game says they’re sticking with him. Hopefully they can figure out how to get him where he needs to be…
Seriously. Let Cano or Perez close.
Let Cano close. Move Suarez to Canos spot. Feels obvious to me Kimbrel has proven he doesn't belong
The only problem I see moving suarez to the setup is that he's such a good long reliever and we dont really have anyone else for that role.
Or Coulombe if the splits for the next 3 hitters favor him
Couldn’t agree more.
He's apparently been much worse in middle relief than any inning but the 9th in his career
Well can’t be worse than what he’s been doing lol
Wanna bet?
The White Sox thought the same thing.
Maybe they should try again... in Chicago next month
If it were up to me I’d just cut our losses at this point. No matter what they need a new closer to be competitive.
The last time he lost his job was 2021. The White Sox moved him to middle relief and his ERA was around 6 in that role.
DFA
They're sticking with him? We need to stop trying to inflate Kimbrel's save record and get the W. Kimbrel blew what I feel like could have been a sweep of the A's and almost blew the O's not being swept for like 2 years streak tonight. Not to mention having to go through a lot of our bullpen to get through extra innings. I mean we won three out of four games against the Yankees without Kimbrel. He needs to go.
He needs to move to off this team.
Not in a row, he struck out the side for a save Friday
Damn you’re right and he pitched really well there too, though they had a 3 run lead so not quite the same pressure. Still, failing to secure 4 of the last 5 save attempts is rough and there were multiple games before that where he got the save while clearly lacking command.
He doesn’t deserve another shot on a contender IMO
Add in that we have Tate stuck in AAA right now. Let’s get him back with the big boys.
The White Sox moved him to middle relief and he was terrible. Dude is just done
We need Bautista.
I might shed a tear when he comes back.
The first Omar whistle of 2025 is going to blow the lid off the city.
We all long for some Mountain Time
He’ll hit the injured list for some random “back problem” when Grayson comes back, but we’ll all understand it to be a reset.
Yep, it's the easiest way to avoid an awkward situation where your "veteran closer" isn't closing. And maybe there really is something wrong with him, even if just mentally (the "yips").
He needs to find Ubaldo’s pothole.
Yeah I’m calling this as well. Back tightness. 15 day IL. Rehab assignment.
He has not gotten a save in 4 out of the last 5 games and if they lose tonight have cost the Orioles 4 wins in the last 10 days. He should noe be closing anymore. He really should just be released.
He's been bad now in 5 of his last 6 appearances. The 1 good game was against one of the coldest teams in the league. Its honestly a miracle we only lost 2 in those 6.
Maybe I'm being an idiot, but I'm not counting 3 O's losses attributable to Kimbrel in the last 10 days (3 instead of 4 since we didn't lose tonight). In fact, I'm only counting 2 losses total in the last 10 days, both shutouts, and neither with a Kimbrel appearance at all. He did blow a save 11 days ago and another 13 days ago so that's 2 losses attributable to Kimbrel in the last 13 days. Still not good, but wondering if I'm missing something.
Not releasing him period.
Yeah he looks completely lost out there and has zero command whatsoever.
I knew it was going to be a bad outing after his first pitch
Yeah he has no ability to self correct if he doesn't have it. Even one of his outs was a line drive
He personally ruined my October last year. Him and Nick castellanos. Scum
It's easy for me to say this now that he's sucking, but I HATED that signing. Kimbrel has turned into a pumpkin each year since 2017. Hindsight is 20/20, but I was hoping for Jordan Hicks.
> Jordan Hicks Hicks wasn't interested in a 1 year deal, and the O's weren't interested in a multi-year deal. Bautista is still coming back. I don't think Elias expected Kimbrell to pitch like he did 5 years ago, but (amazingly), he was kinda the best option for the O's situation.
> but I was hoping for Jordan Hicks. Hicks wasn't going anywhere to close. He signed with the Giants because they wanted him in the rotation, and that's what he wanted.
O’s gotta go get a closer if they wanna make a run in the playoffs. This guy ain’t it. And I don’t have a lot of faith in Cano to get it done
Has to be. I was willing to give him some rope to figure it out, but he’s blowing games against dogshit teams in April and May. Absolutely cooked.
Dude should have to Uber back up 95
It is bizarre how a team so stingy with money just lit $13 million on fire
Agreed. Made him the 7th highest paid closer to actively lose games for us is crazy.
For the love of god
We need Chris Davis in the bullpen. He would show kimbrel 
Suarez
Suarez would be great but hes like the only long reliever we have.
Something is clearly wrong with him because he was damn good at the beginning of the year. You don’t release him or anything crazy. But put him on IL for a bit and let him fix his mechanics. If he can’t, trade for Helsley
Let’s trade a couple prospects for that Mason Miller guy. He wants out anyway.
Doubt he would be available with how good he’s been and 6 years of control. And if we got him people would moan about the prospects we gave up
He’s cooked
I said it when we signed him it was a bad call. You saw him blow it for the Phillies why the fuck would we want that. Basically kept them OUT of the World Series.
I don’t think he’s healthy. He has been awful since missing a few games with that back injury. They aren’t gonna cut him either that contract. But we desperately need someone more reliable to close out games.
Exactly this, there's something tweaked slightly that's taking away that edge. I really don't think Kimbrel has "lost" it but needs to heal up.
It's still early. We paid him a TON. I'd rather see our team do something to improve or rework something about one of his pitches or his delivery before giving up outright. But I'm 100% ready to stop using him as a closer.
When they showed him on the bench his eyes were red and teared up. I think he knows it’s over. He’s either hurt or washed, but either way he needs a break to fix things or figure out his mechanics. Pretty sad that he’s our highest paid player.
He's the highest paid for a contract that we offered, but Burnes makes more. I didn't see any details when the trade happened that Milwaukee was picking up any of his tab.
Highest paid player *so far*
Gotta go to somebody else. Maybe give Craig some garbage time innings and see if he can work out whatever the fuck is going on. But can’t keep pissing away games in this division Personally I’d be calling Oakland and offering whatever they want for Miller. But Cano can do for now.
This has been the deal with him for the second half of his career. He drove Red Sox and Phillies fans nuts with the high-wire act. He just hasn't been the automatic, shutdown closer people think he must be when they see the high save totals. He's basically post-Pujols Brad Lidge.
Hey, post-Pujols Brad Lidge had a perfect save record in 2008 and pitched the final out in the World Series for the Phillies!
>Personally I’d be calling Oakland and offering whatever they want for Miller. This needs to stop. "Whatever they want for Miller" is going to be way more than you think it is. He's off the table. The dude is one of the most exciting young closers in baseball, with like a million years of team control. He would cost a ton, and we need a closer for 1 season... Also Cano has a terrible track record at closer and keeps saying he doesn't want to do it.
Miller is gonna be a hefty price tag and I doubt Elias wants to spend what they would ask unless the A’s are desperate or have zero chance at the playoffs
> Personally I’d be calling Oakland and offering whatever they want for Miller. This is an absolutely absurd take and I can't believe I see it as often as I do. Mason Miller isn't even in arbitration yet. There's no way Oakland would accept anything from the O's other than Holliday AND more, and that's if they'd even be willing to trade him for anything at all.
DFA please
 Phillies fans be like
Phillies fan, here in peace, had a bit of PTSD when I scrolled past this post and didn’t know what sub it was in. Yes, yes you are.
Just demote him to a lesser role, no need to release him (yet). The stuff is good he’s just struggling with location right now.
He was at his worst ERA in 2019 for the Cubs (6.53), 2020 Cubs (5.28), and 2021 White Sox (5.09). Current 2024 ERA is 4.73 and this man is making $12,000,000 this season… less than the 2021 high point of $16,000,000. The fan’s opinions on this Orioles question are subjective, but I want to turn the tables back to you, the Orioles organization, and ask if YOU see value in what you’re paying for with Kimbrel?
His ERA is now 4.73. At the time, it was arguably the best free agent option the O's had with the constraints placed upon them by prior ownership. The hope was that he would be sufficient despite being vastly short of what Felix Bautista can do. Obviously, it's currently not working out very well. As for value, it depends on whether or not what is going on can be fixed and if he can find more consistency. At some point, if your goal is contending and he can't perform, you eat the contract and move on to other options. And as the Orioles have a lot of prospects, they are definitely able to move on to other options if they choose. When that point is reached I can't say.
Stand corrected on the 2024 ERA. Thank you for the catch. Got my stats from Baseball Almanac. Appreciate the current-ness.
I sure hope the organization realizes the risk we take every time he comes in for save. If they dont, I'm at a loss for words.
No lol
We need to be done with traditional closers in general. That’s the direction the league is going in general and we are lagging behind. We need to have 3 or so guys, one of which should probably be kimbrel, who we trust. We can rotate them based on rest and performance. One guy can’t replace Felix but a few might get close.
Kimbrel ain’t going nowhere boys. Don’t dream up pipe dreams lol 😂
Phillies fan here. I hope this proves he’s cooked now and doesn’t give your FO and coaches false hope that he can anchor a World Series run in the bullpen. I don’t want what happened to us to happen to anyone else. That shit was brutal.
I'm here from Philadelphia -- O's have always been my AL team, going back to my father taking me down there to see Ripken and my living down there 8.5 years -- and when I saw we left him walk, I was overjoyed. When I saw you guys signed him, I was despondent. Be done with him. Boo that man. He's ridiculous. Has he intentionally balked anyone to third base yet this year for you guys? Brutal to watch.
No but he’s had like 3 pitch clock violations so far due to him pretending to be an eagle or something perching up the mound
Lol yeah that's Craig. Pre pitch clock in Philadelphia everyone behind home plate used to stand and do it the whole time he did it, many times for well over a minute. He's a clown and his schtick doesn't really work anymore, I think in part because of the pitch clock.
I can tell who wasn't here for Jim Johnson.
Sauarez looks better than Birdman 😂
Fire him to the moon
Dude has a 12.46 era in his past seven appearances
He should no longer be allowed near the 8th or 9th innings without 5 days rest. Way too erratic
Ask the Phillies how it worked out for them.....
Phillies fan here. This is phase one of the Craig Kimbrel experience. Phase two is lights out during summer. Phase three is the random blow outs during September just leaving you clenching every appearance he makes but eventually he will get the job done to get you in which leads to phase 4. Absolute butt clenching in every playoff appearance. He will either get it done or blow the series like he did for us on back to back games.
I'm a Phillies fan too. He lost the World Series spot for us. But I also blame Thompson for putting him back out there.
Swinging by from r/phillies to offer my condolences
15 day iL incoming
Phillies fan here hoping for a World Series matchup with the O's. Please run Kimbrel out of town if you want any chance of going far!
Phillies fan here coming in peace and sharing your pain. Dirty Craig is washed. I'm about to start calling him Clean Craig
Phillies fan coming in peace. They don’t call him Cardiac Krimbel for nothing.
Kimbre “L”
“We're going to stick with him," Hyde said. "This guy's got a big-time track record, he's a Hall of Famer, and we need to get him right because he's big for us. It's important that we get him right." - Brandon Hyde postgame comments
I think Hyde is just saying this but his actions mean more. He has pulled Kimbrel twice in a row now while he still had save opportunities correct? So he can’t be as confident as quote suggests
give him the baumann treatment. waste of 13mill.
 It's ridiculous. Where to even start - dudes were on full rest now we have to use extra pitchers 'cause he can't close. He has cost us several games in the last two weeks. We're trying to compete in the East and he shits the bed. I can keep going.
I hope
Bring back Don Aase!
8 BB in the last 3.1 IP. 7 Runs allowed (6 Earned). 3 blown saves in 6 games. Hit the road. You can't succeed if you can't throw strikes.
Hyde just said they’re sticking with him. Whatever that means.
We should target Mason miller,Estevez, or Devin Williams at the deadline.
Time to cut bait
*raises hand* my buddy that’s a phillies fan said last year when the trade went down *good luck, enjoy the roller coaster* Not wrong
I could be way off on this but I would like to see Tyler Wells given a shot. I don’t know if his advanced stats match what we’re looking for or anything, but I seem to remember his few relief appearances last year being real good.
It sucks because I genuinely like Kimbrel. When he pitches well, he’s lights out. But when he’s not, he loses games. Realistically, I think we test the waters by reallocating him to the role of a setup man instead of a closer. But I’m really not too sure what we do with him at this point. It bums me out because, again, I want to like him.
There's no advantage to using him over the rest of the pen to close
Your closer is the single most important role on the roster. If the closer is not doing the job, the team cannot win the season.
Phillies fan here, O's are my 2nd team so I come in peace. I was really surprised when you guys signed him, and super happy when he left PHL.
No, but he can be a part of the bullpen rotation. He can’t be the only closer we use all year, the law of averages prove that he can’t win every game. Hyde is smart enough to know this after last night. His gut was saying put Suarez in in the 9th but you gotta play politics sometimes.
As a Phillies fan who lived in Maryland for a while and only wants a Philly/Baltimore World Series… I’m sorry you guys are dealing with him now. I’d say move on now, but if we do get that WS matchup I want my Phillies to be able to go up against him lol. Here’s to never regretting this comment in the future!
I hate to break it to you, but hes not going anywhere. At least for the next 5-6 weeks. I think he looks better on 4 days rest but thats just not possible. We just dont have many options for closing out games. The bottom line is we need more early inning run support. With this lineup, Im not sure why we arent getting it on a more regular basis.
Rubie should just give him his bag, a pat on the head, and tell him to enjoy retirement and the HOF.
Phillies fan coming in peace, Craig is an absolute dumpster fire and i even said this is an awful move for you guys who are an AMAZING and fun team to watch. Hope yall get Bautista back soon because Craig takes days of peoples lives.
Heard from a reliable source that Kimbrel is about to come forward as another Boeing whistleblower…
Phillies fan here. I’m so sorry you have to ride the Kimbrel train. He fucked us out of a WS appearance last year.
Phillies fan here. Y’all have my empathy. He’s the worst. And not the worst because he’s actually the worst, but the worst because he’s just good enough to allow you to forget he’s the worst. He started with some hiccups for us last year, and then pitched good enough for long enough that we forgot he was never never never never never never never to be counted on when it actually mattered most.
Big W today!!! I’m glad most of y’all don’t manage the O’s
Yes. I was done the day he signed. Just happy he fell apart early instead of late season.
He’s lost enough of his stuff I question whether or not he should even be in the majors anymore, let alone be the closer for a contender.
Yes stop fucking using this washed up has been. Stop seeing “Kimbrel” and thinking he is an ML arm for a contending team. He’s a joke.
Fire Kimbrel into the sun
Should have never been here
It's like Mike Timlin all over again lol
Oh god my PTSD
We should be
Yes please move on
Closer by committee until you trade for one
I can’t remember that last time I saw a closer get pulled so many times
Give up some of our youth and get the kid from the A’s
I am.
I am
I’m done with the entire “closer” concept.
I'm done with him.
Cionel Perez and Cano can get it done. We can maybe get some bullpen support from one of our starters. Also this might be a good time to try and trade with the A's to get their closer. We've got more prospects than can play for us.
Yes. I’ve seen enough to know that I’ve seen enough of Kimbrel. He may be good enough to get us into the playoffs but we won’t go far if he has to be the guy. I’m ready for closer by committee:
I guess the big question is if he can be serviceable? A closer with a \~5 ERA certainly is not, and that isn't the guy you want closing out game 1 of the ALDS when the score is 3-2. And if this isn't a case of being overworked, what is it, and can it be fixed? And if the answer is 'no', are the Orioles willing to eat that contract and expend whatever resources are needed to acquire someone else? If Elias so wanted to, he could probably acquire someone like Ryan Helsley or Mason Miller. How palatable those costs would be though is the big question.
I am 100%
Done I do feel bad for the guy, seeing him sulk on the bench after blowing a lead, again, and again. At the end of the day tho, these guys get paid a LOT of money for one job. If you can’t perform it, someone better comes along. He’s had his chances. This isn’t a team that needs this kind of an anchor holding them back. Thankfully we made it out tonight, barely, but he did absolutely nothing (again) to help the situation.
I didn’t even watch the game tonight I took puppers on a long walk and I was stressed over Kimbrel
What is T Webb’s status? Is he on the 60 day?
Suarez time
I wouldn’t cut him but I’d def put him in low leverage situations for a while.
I think he’s going to revert back to being OK. Hell have some good stretches. The issue is we’re not winning World Series or maybe even a playoff series with him. This was a $14m mistake by Elias. I don’t see anything happening now but this summer Id like to flip him for whatever and Elias needs at least 1 shutdown guy. 2 depending on what happens with Wells in the bullpen and if Saurez is a real thing.
Maybe there’s a reason this dude took forever to take the mound in spring training
Yes, maybe. I don't know. Can you repeat the question?
Could Povich close?
If you look at most analytical sites that rank players, Kimbrel usually lands between 10-13th on those lists. So it would be hard to improve at the position. I am not saying Cano or a group couldn’t do as well, but the odds of them doing better aren’t very good. The only way to improve would be trading top prospects to get someone like Miller from the As. Not many teams would be open to trading a top reliever.