NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On the first night of the general managers meeting on Nov. 7 in Scottsdale, Arizona, Orioles GM Mike Elias met with David Meter, the agent representing veteran right-hander Craig Kimbrel. It didn’t take long for Elias to have a realization.
Kimbrel, who is also a free agent again this offseason, would be a perfect fit in Baltimore as the O’s are closer for the 2024 season.
“It was pretty clear that we wanted him and he wanted to join this Orioles team,” Elias said.
Less than a month later, Elias made it happen.
On Wednesday – the final day of the Winter Meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort – the Orioles signed Kimbrel to a one-year contract that includes a club option for 2025. The right-hander will make $12 million in 1224, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, with the ’25 option worth $13 million (or a $1 million buyout).
Kimbrel is expected to become the highest-paid Orioles player since Elias became general manager before the 2019 season. The brand was previously owned by Kyle Gibson, who earned $10 million in 1923. Kimbrel’s deal – which guarantees him at least $13 million – was also the largest free agent contract reached by an MLB team during this year’s Winter Meetings.
Baltimore was looking for a backup player with graduation experience as Félix Bautista (the 2023 Mariano Rivera Award winner) is expected to miss the entire ’24 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. The O’s wanted a veteran to replace the All-Star right-hander, and Kimbrel will get the opportunity as he is expected to be the team’s closer next season.
“He’s one of the best closers in baseball history at this point,” Elias said. “He still has a lot of work to do, and he had a really solid season last year, and from a scouting perspective, we see a lot of things going forward that make us make a pretty big bet that this guy is really going to have some success. “Good season for us.”
Kimbrel is a 14-year big league veteran who ranks eighth in AL/NL history with 417 career saves. During his outstanding career, he won the Reliever of the Year Award in both the American League and the National League.
While Kimbrel may not be as dominant as he was from 2010 to 2014 – when he posted a 1.43 ERA in 294 appearances with the Braves – he has still been solid in recent years. He is coming off a 2023 season in which he posted a 3.26 ERA and recorded 23 saves in 71 appearances in his only year with the Phillies.
“When he’s active, he’s a lockdown pitcher. He’s an intimidating guy,” said Baltimore catcher James McCann, who lives near Nashville and stopped by the Winter Meetings on Wednesday. “Similar to Bautista, when he grabs the ball you know the game is over.”
Kimbrel was the NL reliever of the month in June and was great in September, allowing just two earned runs in 12 innings. However, he was no longer as electrifying once Philadelphia reached the NL Championship Series, where he allowed four runs in three innings against Arizona and was removed from the closer’s role.
The Phillies signed Kimbrel to a one-year, $10 million contract last offseason. Previously, Kimbrel had a 3.75 ERA in 63 games for the Dodgers in 2022. In 63 games between the Cubs and White Sox in 2021, he recorded a 2.26 ERA.
Kimbrel has a 2.40 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 757 1/3 career innings, split between the Braves, Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers and Phillies. He won the 2018 World Series with Boston and will look to achieve similar success with the O’s, who are coming off a 101-win season in which they won the AL East title.
“We have a really great team, a great squad that missed graduation due to injury,” Elias said. “We have a guy who loves to pitch leverage innings and close out games and he loves to win. And he saw a team that could use him.”
If the Orioles get a reliable version of Kimbrel, then their bullpen has the potential to be a strength again in 2024. The unit also includes All-Star right-hander Yennier Cano and left-handers Danny Coulombe and Cionel Pérez. to be used in high leverage situations.
It’s possible Baltimore isn’t done adding to its bullpen mix just yet. While adding a starting pitcher is now clearly the O’s top priority, Elias wouldn’t rule out adding another impact reliever to the team this winter.
“We’ll keep an eye on the opportunities in the bullpen, and if it’s a trade or a free-agent contract that looks attractive, there’s room for more,” Elias said. “But I feel like this group is doing really well in the league now.”