Every underperforming unit needs a scapegoat, and Craig Kimbrel played the part perfectly.

With a week remaining in the regular season, the Orioles decided they could no longer shoulder Kimbrel’s 5.33 ERA and six blown saves, releasing the potential Hall of Famer. A $13 million addition last offseason, Kimbrel had become the poster child for a bullpen that dropped from fifth in ERA in 2023 to 23rd the following season.

But the difficult truth is the O’s pen was due for regression anyway. Replacing the injured Félix Bautista was a nearly impossible task, and it was hardly shocking that setup man Yennier Cano couldn’t conjure the same ground ball magic that made him so successful in 2023. Cionel Pérez took a step back, Danny Coulombe hit the injured list and, by the time the trade deadline came around, general manager Mike Elias needed to trade for Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto just to keep the unit from falling apart.

Elias has found gems on the waiver wire (Jorge López, Jacob Webb) and in trades (Cano, Danny Coulombe), but his two free agent reliever signings (Kimbrel, Mychal Givens) have both flopped. Can he turn his luck around with this year’s crop?

Jeff Hoffman

Throws: Right

2025 age: 32

2024 stats: 2.17 ERA, 2.0 WAR in 66 1/3 innings

Hoffman could receive a massive payday from a team looking to make the 2024 All-Star a closer. The Orioles, with Bautista set to return, don’t need a ninth-inning guy. But how about a Robin to Bautista’s Batman?

A converted starter, Hoffman has been one of the best bullpen arms in the game since he joined the Phillies in 2023. Of relievers who have thrown at least 100 innings over the last two seasons, Hoffman ranks sixth in ERA (2.28) and 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.98). His 97 mph heater is dominant, but his slider (.198 batting average against) is even more devastating. A Hoffman-Bautista tandem would strike fear into any opposing lineup.

Tanner Scott

Throws: Left

2025 age: 30

2024 stats: 1.75 ERA, 4.0 WAR in 72 innings

Scott always had the arsenal to succeed but, for whatever reason, he could never put it all together in Baltimore. When Elias dealt him to Miami in 2022, the lefty was the owner of a disappointing 4.73 ERA in five big league seasons. It took him a season to get his feet under him, but Scott emerged in 2023 as a lights-out closer and made a trip to the All-Star Game this past summer.

With a 2.04 ERA over the last two seasons, Scott is poised to cash in. The Orioles have brought back relievers they’ve traded away before (Givens, López), but they’d have to pay handsomely to reunite with Scott. But this version of the 2014 sixth-round pick would be worth it.

A.J. Minter

Throws: Left

2025 age: 31

2024 stats: 2.62 ERA, 1.1 WAR in 34 1/3 innings

Minter was in line for a massive deal before his 2024 season was cut short by hip surgery. The 2015 second-round pick has never earned an All-Star nod despite being one of baseball’s best relievers since 2020. He needs only three pitches to be effective: a four-seamer, a cutter and a changeup, all of which generate plenty of whiffs.

There’s not much to nitpick with Minter. If he can convince teams he’ll be fully healthy in 2025, he could earn a multiyear deal.

David Robertson

Throws: Right

2025 age: 40

2024 stats: 3.00 ERA, 1.7 WAR in 72 innings

Unlike most of the guys on this list, Robertson isn’t gonna blow anyone away with blistering heat. His cutter averaged just 93 mph in 2024, but opposing batters hit just .163 off the pitch because of its rising action. Robertson also dices up left-handed hitters (.187 batting average against) just as well as he does righties (.222), a useful quality in the age of three-batter minimums.

The Orioles said goodbye to one aging soft tosser this winter, so perhaps they’re looking for something different. But, if the price is right, Robertson could make Baltimore his ninth big league team in his impressive 16-year career.

Chris Martin

Throws: Right

2025 age: 39

2024 stats: 3.45 ERA, 0.2 WAR in 44 1/3 innings

Martin hit free agency a year too late. The towering righty followed up an impressive 2023 season, in which he posted a 1.05 ERA, with a mediocre 2024 campaign, missing time in July with elbow inflammation. Still, his underlying numbers — 27.8% strikeout rate, 1.7% walk rate — were very good, so it’s not as if he fell off a cliff.

Martin’s advanced years and dip in velocity in 2024 — down a full mile per hour on his four-seamer — are red flags. But the talent is there.

José Leclerc

Throws: Right

2025 age: 31

2024 stats: 4.32 ERA, 0.0 WAR in 66 2/3 innings

Leclerc’s age and ability to miss bats — 96th percentile in whiffs, 92nd in strikeout rate, per Statcast — should make him one of the most attractive relievers on the market. So what’s the issue? His 11% walk rate, which puts him in the 14th percentile.

The O’s already have a hard-throwing reliever who walks too many batters, and his name is Cionel Pérez. Would they be willing to carry another?

Scott Barlow

Throws: Right

2025 age: 32

2024 stats: 4.25 ERA, 0.2 WAR in 55 innings

Is there such a thing as a crafty righty? Barlow has thrown his 81 mph slider and 77 mph curveball more than any other offering for the last three seasons. But hitters haven’t touched them, batting a combined .169 off the two pitches. His four-seam fastball and sinker, which opponents clubbed to a .309 average, were the problem.

Barlow struggles with command even more than Leclerc, posting an abhorrent 12.9% walk rate. But he generates whiffs and induces soft contact, making him the perfect “I can fix him” candidate for Elias and the Orioles’ pitching lab.

Ryan Yarbrough

Throws: Left

2025 age: 33

2024 stats: 3.19 ERA, 1.2 WAR in 98 2/3 innings

Barlow is crafty, but Yarbrough is downright devious. The former Tampa Bay Ray didn’t have a pitch that averaged more than 86 mph in 2024, mixing and matching five offerings. Like Barlow, Yarbrough hunts weak contact, finishing in the 99th percentile in hard-hit percentage in 2024.

Yarbrough soaked up innings for the Dodgers and Blue Jays, racking up almost 100 in just 44 appearances. Cole Irvin was the O’s best bulk reliever over the last two seasons, but he’s in the KBO now. Yarbrough could be a useful chess piece for manager Brandon Hyde in 2025.