Fansided

Winners and losers of Craig Kimbrel deal

By John Buhler

Sep 16, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) prepares to throw a pitch during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) prepares to throw a pitch during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Sep 24, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (left) introduces Mike Hazen (right) as the team
Sep 24, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (left) introduces Mike Hazen (right) as the team /

Winner: Dave Dombrowski

Dave Dombrowski is the biggest winner of this trade, as this is his first major deal since becoming the new general manager of the Boston Red Sox. He was with the Detroit Tigers as late as last season. Detroit, under his construction, was a perennial ALCS caliber team in the AL Central. Boston has made some interesting free agent moves since winning the World Series in 2013 that haven’t panned out.

Not that Dombrowski needed any more legitimacy as a fantastic orchestrator of trades, but acquiring Kimbrel is more proof that he can, and will continue to, pull off the high-profile moves necessary to make his team better. This is good news in the long-run for the Boston Red Sox organization.

Could the Craig Kimbrel deal with San Diego become the signature trade from his time in Boston, similar to the Miguel Cabrera deal with the Marlins when Dombrowski was running the Tigers’ front office? Having former Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren in the Red Sox organization seems like assurance that Kimbrel will do a fine job feeling welcome while closing out games for Boston.

Winner: San Diego Padres

One way that San Diego is a winner in this trade is that they were able to both dump Kimbrel’s salary and get four quality prospects from a strong farm system. Going all-in on contending for a World Series in 2015 was a blunder for the Padres, as they fired their manager Bud Black and finished fourth in the NL West.

This move with the Red Sox accomplishes what San Diego general manager A.J. Preller wanted entering the winter meetings. Even though. Kimbrel is one of the best closers in Major League Baseball, the position is still tremendously overvalued. Should any one of the four prospects the Padres got in return for Kimbrel become an everyday starter for the club in the next few seasons, then it seems worth it.

Winner: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves actually emerge as a winner in this deal. Getting the Padres’ No. 2 overall prospect last year, starting pitcher Matt Wisler, and a valuable trade commodity in the improved Cameron Maybin, for one year of Craig Kimbrel and the remaining salary of Melvin Upton, Jr. should make Braves Country smile after a bittersweet Thursday night.

Seeing Kimbrel go to Boston makes the deal with the Padres last April all that more sweet. It’s a nice consolation prize one day after sending shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Should Wisler become a top of the rotation type of starter, and Maybin continue to add value, Atlanta emerges as the clear winner of last April’s trade with San Diego.

Next: And the losers...

Home/Boston Red Sox