You could probably squint at the addition of Ryan Tepera and call the White Sox bullpen adequate for getting into October.
Squinting is no longer necessary. The White Sox struck their second deal with the Cubs in two days, and this one is for the market's preeminent reliever in Craig Kimbrel.
SOURCE: I'm hearing Craig Kimbrel has been traded to the Chicago White Sox.
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) July 30, 2021
The cost? Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer.
The #Cubs will receive second baseman Nick Madrigal and pitcher Codi Heuer from the #WhiteSox for Craig Kimbrel.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 30, 2021
It's a staggering deal on both sides. Kimbrel either becomes baseball's best setup man, or Liam Hendriks does. Here's what the two relievers have done so far this year:
| Closer | G | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam Hendriks | 45 | 45.1 | 28 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 71 | 2.58 |
| Craig Kimbrel | 39 | 36.2 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 64 | 0.49 |
| Total | 84 | 82 | 41 | 21 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 135 | 1.65 |
And then there's the return. Heuer was one of the bigger disappointments of the season, with a 5.12 ERA over 40 games. The 3.67 ERA suggests it's bad luck, but the quality of contact, location of his pitches and stickiness of his struggles meant that he wasn't a lock to pitch into October.
But Madrigal is the stunner, partially because he's out for the season with a hamstring tear, and partially because he appeared to be part of the core. But I mentioned on Thursday's Sox Machine Live that Madrigal seemed like he could be trade bait, if only because this was his third season out of four with a significant injury. He broke a wrist in his final year at Oregon State, he separated his shoulder in 2020, and now he's recovering from torn tendons.
Madrigal and Heuer could both possibly click and provide the Cubs with stability in the infield and bullpen for the next five-plus years. But Kimbrel isn't a rental, with a $16 million team option for 2022, and neither is César Hernández, who has a $6 million option himself. Carrying both for another year takes up a fair amount of a traditional White Sox payroll, but the White Sox now have the kind of bullpen that makes a deep October run -- and a big White Sox payroll boost -- possible.
The White Sox just christened the move:
The #WhiteSox have acquired All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher Codi Heuer and second baseman Nick Madrigal. pic.twitter.com/mfDsPKy4uq
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 30, 2021
They also made roster moves to accommodate the previous acquisitions. Danny Mendick heads to Charlotte to make room for Hernández, and Tepera takes the place of fellow Ryan Burr.
(Photo by Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)
