The Chicago White Sox have traded away Craig Kimbrel shortly after acquiring him at the trade deadline last season. Cubs fans feel they won the trade.
Chicago received second baseman Nick Madrigal and pitcher Codi Heuer in the trade for their then-star reliever. However, Kimbrel struggled during his tenure with the Cubs’ crosstown rival, so much so that the White Sox opted to cut bait this offseason.
The super-bullpen they hoped to form with Liam Hendriks, Kimbrel and others never came to be. So, Kimbrel is now a Dodger, shipped away less than a year after he arrived in the South Side.
The Dodgers’ bullpen is suddenly stacked, while the White Sox are left asking questions. Mainly, why did Kimbrel struggle in the setup role?
Reliever Craig Kimbrel has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder A.J. Pollock, sources tell ESPN. @Feinsand was on it.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 1, 2022
Dodgers bullpen
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 1, 2022
Craig Kimbrel
Blake Treinen
Daniel Hudson
Brusdar Graterol
Alex Vesia
Justin Bruihl
Victor Gonzalez
Tyler Anderson
David Price
They also expect Dustin May, Danny Duffy, Tommy Kahnle and Phil Bickford back at some point.
The Dodgers' pitching depth is enormous.
Cubs won the Craig Kimbrel trade
Chicago have Madrigal and Heuer for the next half-decade, which is impressive to say the least. That haul should fare quite well for Jed Hoyer’s club. Meanwhile, the White Sox have already punted on Kimbrel, sending him to Los Angeles where he will (likely) see a career revival.
Cubs fans love to see it.
https://twitter.com/JakeHayes77/status/1509933949425893384
When the #Cubs and #WhiteSox make a trade with each other someone’s getting fleeced.
— georgeshainakat (@pashaina890) April 1, 2022
Cmon man just admit Sox and Cubs are even now. Cubs lost the Quintana trade but won the Kimbrel trade
— alex ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (@Baconator100T) April 1, 2022
Cubs win the Kimbrel trade.
— Donuts (@CptnDonuts) April 1, 2022
i know, i'm being a smartass cubs fan
— x (@PleaseTalkToMe1) April 1, 2022
The cubs won the trade 😃 https://t.co/hin60xhdw7
— Ser Michael of House Morgan (@That_MikeyMo23) April 1, 2022
So when Craig Kimbrel makes the Hall of Fame does he wear a Cubs hat or White Sox hat?
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) April 1, 2022
I’m good with the Pollock move for the Sox. Yeah, that probably means they “lost” the Kimbrel trade with the Cubs, but it’s better to cut ties now and fill an immediate need, than to worry about losing a trade with a, at best, middle of the road team lol.
— Nicole (@Seddair) April 1, 2022
Cubs effectively traded Madrigal and Heuer for AJ Pollock which is a pretty good trade
— Jamie (@L_Taker8989) April 1, 2022
The White Sox turned Nick Madrigal into a couple bad months of Craig Kimbrel and a year of 34-year old AJ Pollock. Neat.
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) April 1, 2022
Transltion: Cubs won the trade.
— Kurtis Arndt (@KurtisArndt) April 1, 2022
5-Years of Codi Heuer
6-Years of Nick Madrigal
Jed’s league.
There were many more, as north side fans are convinced they won the trade. And honestly? They have a right to be cocky.
This offseason, the Cubs added Marcus Stroman, Seiya Suzuki and more. Suddenly, the future looks bright, in large part due to the trade that sent Kimbrel to their crosstown rivals.
Perhaps these two teams should just avoid trading with one another in the near future — the Jose Quintana deal doesn’t look all that great either, Chicago.