As teams around the league wait for the Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes to wrap up, the 2023 Winter Meetings have been slow as molasses, especially from a free agent standpoint. So slow, in fact, that I spent far too long trying to decide if Craig Kimbrel inking a one-year pact with the Orioles counts as a “major” free agent signing.
With nine All-Star appearances, three Reliever of the Year awards, and 417 career saves, Kimbrel is certainly a big name. His $13 million salary marks the highest AAV given out at the Winter Meetings thus far. His signing has certainly generated more opinions, arguments, and general hubbub than Wade Miley, Erick Fedde, or Victor Caratini.
On the other hand, Kimbrel didn’t even make the top 50 free agents lists at FanGraphs or MLB Trade Rumors. By 2023 FanGraphs WAR, he ranks just ninth among free agent relievers (only by mere decimals, but the point stands). By Steamer projected WAR for the 2024 season, he ranks seventh. The crowdsourced contract projections at FanGraphs had him signing just the fifth-largest deal.
None of these are perfect metrics or exact sciences, especially when we’re dealing with decimal points of WAR and a couple million dollars in estimated salary. That said, it’s not like there’s a scientific definition for a major signing, either.
Thus, as I sit here without a Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, or even Lucas Giolito deal to cover, I’m choosing to believe that this is the first major signing of the Winter Meetings. The 2023 AL East champions and 101-game winners just signed a potential future Hall of Famer to replace the most exciting young reliever in the game – Félix Bautista, out for the 2024 season with a UCL tear.
Craig Kimbrel Signs with the Baltimore Orioles
The terms of the deal are relatively simple. It’s a one-year contract for 2024 with a team option for 2025. Kimbrel will earn $12 million next season, while the option is for $13 million (with a $1 million buyout).
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com was the first to report the full terms, while Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report that the two sides were in agreement on a deal.
Kimbrel the Closer?
When Rosenthal first reported that the sides were coming together on a deal, he noted that Kimbrel would be the Orioles’ closer.
