The Baltimore Orioles parted ways with nine-time All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel on Wednesday, designating him for assignment and promoting reliever Bryan Baker from the minor leagues.

This decision may mark the end of Kimbrel’s impressive 15-year career, during which he played for eight different teams.

After signing a one-year deal worth $13 million with the Orioles this offseason, Kimbrel had a stellar first half, finishing the All-Star break with 23 saves and boasting a 2.80 ERA over 35 ⅓ innings.

However, things took a turn for the worse for the 36-year-old in the second half, where he struggled significantly. In just 17 innings, he has allowed 22 hits and walked 15 batters, leading to a 10.59 ERA.

Kimbrel’s predicament in Baltimore mirrors his situation from last season with the Philadelphia Phillies. After signing with a playoff-ready team, he began the season strong as a closer but faltered as the season progressed.

During his time with the Phillies in 2023, Kimbrel was selected as an All-Star in the National League but struggled towards the end, including a particularly tough Game 4 in the National League Championship Series, where he surrendered a game-tying two-run homer to Arizona’s Alex Thomas and took the loss.

In 2022, Kimbrel was the closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers for most of the season but faced difficulties that led to him being left off the postseason roster.

If this marks the conclusion of his career, Kimbrel can look back at a potentially Hall of Fame-worthy journey. He led the National League in saves for four straight seasons from 2011 to 2014 while playing for the Atlanta Braves, and his total of 440 career saves places him fifth on the all-time saves leaderboard.

Kimbrel’s career stats include an overall record of 56-47 and a 2.59 ERA over 809 ⅔ innings pitched with the Braves, Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, and Orioles.