I acknowledge what a first-world problem it is that I could quibble at all about anything related to a team tied for the fewest losses in baseball and whose starting pitchers combined to post a sub-0.40 WHIP in 19.1 shutout innings this weekend.
This week’s column should probably read “hello Baltimore, life is good, have a great week.” The Orioles are outstanding. The rotation is exactly as good as we thought it might be when the club added Corbin Burnes. The Orioles’ biggest problems have largely been that they’ve had too much talent and not enough roles for everyone! That’s how good they are! Our biggest complaint is that we want more of them!
But because of that, we’re viewing everything about the Orioles now through the prism of their ability to win the World Series. And there are almost no weak links on the entire roster that make us question their ability to do just that.
And yet, based on the headline and the picture that you clicked on, you know this column is about the one concern we have despite the Orioles’ incredible start. There’s confirmation bias involved with this. I came into the season truly worried that Craig Kimbrel wasn’t the answer at the back end of the bullpen for a World Series winner. He looked incredible to start the season but of late, those fears have seemed warranted.
It’s not that Craig Kimbrel has been “bad,” per se. In fact, after his miserable weekend against the Athletics, his Friday night appearance in Cincinnati might have been his best of the season. But one night later, yuck. Just one out and three baserunners later and we were right back to wondering if there’s a closer controversy in Baltimore.
Some fans criticized Brandon Hyde for sending Kimbrel back out for a second straight night, but he had thrown a total of 16 pitches in six days. I give Hyde credit for pulling Kimbrel in that moment. That’s not an easy thing to do with a veteran, borderline Hall of Fame pitcher. It proved to be the right thing to do because Yennier Cano finished the job, but that doesn’t mean it was easy.
I think Kimbrel has proven that he still has value in 2024. I think he’s proven that he can still save games. But it’s more than fair to question how much of a workhorse he can be at this point. I’m concerned about the team’s ability to win the World Series without that type of workhorse at the back end.
The easiest thing to say is that the Orioles will have a chance to try to acquire one before the July 30 trade deadline. They certainly have the ammo to go get a guy. We’re all enamored with Athletics closer Mason Miller, but he’s such a freak that I’m guessing his value will be higher than the price the Orioles are willing to pay. And heck, given how things are going, the A’s might be in the throes of a playoff race at that point!
In the meantime, I don’t know that it would be wrong for Hyde to give Cano some more chances to prove that he might be capable of being that guy himself. There’s an argument that the Orioles could attempt a “closer by committee” approach. Given their data-driven approach, they might be able to tell us exactly which reliever is best suited to face exactly which part of the order and pick a different arm for the ninth inning each night. Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe could be in the mix. I think we all expect Tyler Wells to be in that conversation again when he returns.
But a commonly held opinion among many in the game is that the value of a singular closer goes beyond stats and data and instead becomes the mental backbone of a team’s faith in their ability to win games. The Orioles certainly don’t appear to be lacking in that department despite Kimbrel’s recent issues, but I still think they’d be well served to have that guy as the season goes along.
I doubt Hyde is ready to make a definitive change, but I think the Orioles should give Cano a chance. I also think they’ll need multiple “closers” in the postseason, guys who can get big outs in leverage spots throughout the course of a game, not just in the ninth inning. And while I have my doubts about Kimbrel as being THE closer for a World Series winner at this point in his career, I think he can still be helpful in that capacity.
But also, yeah, life is good. Have a great week.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles