The long overdue departure of James Karinchak

It was not the intention of the Cleveland Guardians to move on from James Karinchak, but that is how things played out.

Cleveland activated Karinchak off the 60-day injured list and attempted to outright him to Triple-A Columbus to keep him in the organization. The only problem was that Karinchak refused the assignment and decided to become a free agent instead. Karinchak missed most of 2024 due to a shoulder injury, and his fastball velocity was notably down in his few appearances (92.8 MPH). When accounting for Cleveland's currently loaded major league bullpen and Karinchak clearly being the odd man out, it is understandable for the once-electric relief pitcher to try and find a job on a major league roster. Whether that happens is a different story entirely.

There was a time when Karinchak seemed poised to take over as Cleveland's high-leverage reliever for the foreseeable future. From making his debut in 2019 to finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, Karinchak and his highly leaned-upon fastball were limiting the effectiveness of opposing batters on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last.

Karinchak's average fastball was 94.8 MPH in 2023, slightly down from fluctuating within the 95 MPH range that has been the norm over the previous three seasons. Having a sub-95 MPH fastball as a two-pitch pitcher is hard to live with, but adding that on top of Karinchak's high-walk frequency made it impossible. From 2020-2023, Karinchak averaged 5.4 walks per nine, with 2023's 6.5 being the worst mark of his career. This, combined with Major League Baseball's new rules implemented in an effort to speed up the game, made him unpitchable. Karinchak was clearly rattled and had a hard time adjusting, resulting in multiple trips between Cleveland and Columbus throughout the season.

In case it was not clear to anyone before this transpired, Karinchak was already on borrowed time with the Guardians. Having a lockdown bullpen combined with Karinchak not being as effective on the mound made a parting of ways inevitable. Perhaps he can turn things around with another organization. Still, unless he can get some velocity on his fastball back, calm down his herky-jerky delivery and make it more repeatable, and look comfortable on the mound with MLB's new rules, that prospect does not seem very likely.