Dodgers fans have no sympathy for Orioles after ruthless Craig Kimbrel decision

Craig Kimbrel's glory days were already behind him when the Dodgers traded for him just a few games into the 2022 season. He'd put up a All-Star season for both Chicago teams in 2021, but he was on a clear decline from 2019 on, when he started to fall out of perennial All-Star elections and Cy Young candidacies and battled a couple of different injuries.

But the Dodgers got him after a 2.26 ERA year with both the Cubs and White Sox and quickly installed him as their closer for the season, ignoring the back half of his year in the American League. Although his 60 innings in LA weren't as bad as his 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Cubs, he put up a 3.75 ERA and was removed from the closer role by the end of the season, but not before blowing five saves.

The Dodgers let him go in free agency and he signed with the Phillies, where had a better ERA but blew five more saves and was mostly moved out of the closer role by the end of September. The Orioles, however, who signed him in this past offseason, have had it the worst of any of Kimbrel's recent teams. He's pitched 52 1/3 innings for a 5.33 ERA and six blown saves.

The Orioles finally decided that enough was enough, and they designated Kimbrel for assignment on Wednesday.

Orioles designate former Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel for assignment after disastrous outing against Giants

On Tuesday, Kimbrel took the mound against the Giants in the ninth; San Francisco already led by four runs. He struck out Patrick Bailey, but then walked Grant McCray, who stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kimbrel walked the next batter to put runners at the corners, then a run scored on a sac bunt. Mike Yastrzemski then walked to load the bases, and then Giants tacked on five more runs before Matt Bowman finally got out of the inning.

The Orioles really had no other choice but to cut him loose after that and eat what's left of his $12 million for the season, but it's hard to feel that bad for the O's after the grief Kimbrel caused the Dodgers back in 2022 ... and the Phillies last year in October.

Now, the Dodgers just can't get any funny ideas. They have a penchant for picking up discarded pitchers to try to spin them into something great, but they already tried that with Kimbrel and it didn't work. Let him go to a non-contender or clear waivers altogether. LA has Michael Kopech now, so we're all set here.