White Sox acquire Craig Kimbrel, even though price includes Nick Madrigal

Jul 16, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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.

The cost? Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer.

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:

CloserGIPHRERHRBBKERA
Liam Hendriks4545.128151385712.58
Craig Kimbrel3936.21362113640.49
Total84824121159181351.65

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:

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)

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asinwreck

The White Sox have a strong argument for the best pitching staff in baseball now.

andyfaust

Assuming they pick up Kimbrel’s $16M option in 22, it could be a $35M+ bullpen next year.

And for the first time in a few years, RF might not be the biggest glaring need this offseason… then again…

Greg Nix

I mean… the Dodgers have Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Julio Urias… I like the Sox staff and we’re maybe slightly deeper, but that’s at least two pitchers better than anyone the White Sox have.

asinwreck

The argument is weaker for the rotation than for the entire staff. That pen is made for postseason baseball. How comfortable would you be with Kenley Jansen as a high-leverage reliever this October.

HallofFrank

If the Sox get first-half Rodón, I’d put Lynn-Giolito-Rodón up against Scherzer-Buehler-Kershaw. Maybe it’s a Dodger-lean, but it’s close. And the Sox bullpen is a fair bit better.

Maybe I’m just being an AL homer, but I always lean towards AL pitchers when the numbers are close. I could also be proved wrong by data that surely exists, but getting to face pitchers + whatever bench players the team throws out instead of the DH has to make a difference. Like, Giolito and Lynn’s numbers might notably improve even if they didn’t face Nelson Cruz alone.

Greg Nix

I’d say Scherzer and Buehler are top 5 starters in baseball. Lynn and Gio are probably in the top 15-20 with Kershaw, and Rodon is a bit of a wild card with his injury/performance history. That may not sound like a huge chasm, but it’s pretty significant and I don’t know if the Sox bullpen is better by the same margin — particularly if Urias and/or Duffy are in the Dodgers pen come October.

Still, splitting hairs here and a good discussion to be having!

LuBob DuRob

Scherzer top 5? I guess on rep.

HallofFrank

That’s fair. I might slide Lynn into the top 10, but, yeah, splitting hairs. It’s just a challenge to compare AL and NL pitchers. Lynn and Rodón are the only AL pitchers in the top 12 for ERA. I don’t think the NL just happens to have better pitching. I think they have it easier by facing lesser competition (e.g., they face Kenta Maeda instead of Nelson Cruz).

Either way, both of these staffs are the class of their league and would make for a fun as hell World Series.

anthonyprinceton

As of right now, Dodgers have 4 starters in the top 28 based on FIP. White Sox have 3. However, Rodon currently has a lower FIP than anyone on the Dodgers and is probably the favorite for CY by a decent margin. He is easily one of the top 5 starters in MLB this season.

Also Lynn is top 15 or 20? Entering 2021 he was one of the 10 best pitchers in MLB since 2019 based on about a half dozen different pitching metrics. He has been every bit as good in 2021.

Factoring in relief pitching the White Sox have a significant advantage over the Dodgers.

jhomeslice

Dodgers staff is insane. With Scherzer, their staff has 64 quality starts compared to 44 on the Sox. That’s a difference of 4 quality starts per pitcher, crazy.

yinkadoubledare

I’d feel a little more comfortable with Hendriks coming in as opposed to Kimbrel with a bases loaded situation in the playoffs since he walks basically no one. I’d feel more comfortable with Kimbrel coming on in the 8th with a 1 run lead trying to finish it out over the last two innings.

This is what we call a good problem to have.

chambers.kevin

I like the acquisition, but don’t like giving up Madrigal. Figured we should have gotten Contreras or Bryant if Madrigal was included.

calcetinesblancos

I think Sox fans probably value Madrigal more than the rest of the league does honestly. And I say this as a huge fan of his.

jhomeslice

Love Nick and wish the guy the best, but the upside of a guy who doesn’t hit for power in today’s game is very limited. Cubs got a solid 2b, but not someone who is likely to be near the best in baseball at his position. Still, am digesting whether or not I like the trade.

soxfan

Not sure I understand the logic here. Given their contributions this year and their contracts, seems like Kimbrel should be the player teams would be willing to pay a premium for over Bryant. I’d rather have Kimbrel and his nearly identical WAR this year with a team option for next year than a Bryant rental who’s likely to leave in FA for $25M/year.

ThisReallySox

Doesn’t Madrigal seem like too much for a reliever? I really don’t know but I need some talking down

calcetinesblancos

He gets hurt often and he also happens to be hurt right now. If he had been healthy during his Sox tenure I don’t think there’s a chance they trade him. But I do like the guy and I think his skillset really balances out a modern baseball lineup.

joewho112

That’s my big disappointment. Madrigal plays a fairly enjoyable brand of baseball from a viewer’s perspective even if it isn’t the most valuable

jose robcada

crochet and bummer are now pitching in the 6th inning, this team has a chance to be absolutely lockdown inning 1-9 in playoffs, hope this helps

Greg Nix

A two- to three-win second baseman is less difficult and less expensive to find than an elite reliever. For example, the White Sox just acquired one for Bailey Horn.

GrinnellSteve

The cost was Pilkington. Horn netted Tepera.

Greg Nix

Oops, my bad. Either way, the point remains…

joewho112

As they pointed out in the last podcast, there were multiple second basemen floating around signing late last year (Schoop, Hernandez, Wong) for not a lot of money. Second base has become the runningback of the MLB

MarketMaker

he was on a 4 WAR pace at the league minimum this season despite only having a half of a season of MLB experience. the cubs get 5 more years of control. that is both rare and valuable.

metasox

Five years of control is nice. But what is the Sox window? This season, next season… Beyond that, hard to say. Playing for now and not worrying about five years of control is a reasonable approach.

jose robcada

and whos to say they dont try to sign the guy they actually wanted for 2b in the off season

soxfan

Who’s to say that Burger isn’t playing 2B next Spring?

joewho112

The Cubs gave up Gleybor Torres + 3 2 other prospects (correction: it was 2 prospects plus Adam Warren who was already a major league bullpen piece) for a couple month of Aroldis Chapman in 2016. Torres was the #24 prospect at the time. One of the other prospects was #75

Last edited 2 years ago by joewho112
ThisReallySox

Thanks to all who replied. I guess like others I was really liking his extreme contact approach as a contrast this lineup. He was fun to watch.And as always, if they spend in the offseason (we can hope) they can get better at second base. Kimbrel certainly makes their bullpen better.

andyfaust

I wouldn’t bet any money on it, but if the league were to take some drastic measures soon and back up the mound slightly as has been suggested, I think Madrigal’s value and unique abilities would take a huge hit. So there’s that too, so come on off the ledge bro! And for the record, i liked nicky two-strikes also.

mikeyb

The off-season should be interesting. Great attendance down the stretch could hopefully keep Jerry willing to run with a higher than usual payroll. But if not, I would still imagine a full season of Kimbrel could fetch a good return on the trade market.

Either way, I’m very excited. Madrigal had definitely grown on me, but it’s a power game now. Winning teams are the ones that hit homers, for better or for worse. 2020 Heuer was a ton of fun to watch, but 2021 Heuer has been painful. Hope he turns it around, even if it would be on the wrong side of town.

Milky✌️

Surprised but not unpleasantly so that they traded Madrigal. I liked him well enough to be the solution at 2B. But between the defense not being as polished as advertised, the taking every bit of strength to hit a ball past the infield, and the apparent knack for injuries keeping him out for the rest of the year, I don’t think he’s not irreplacable or unupgradable for two awkward descriptors.

I was getting antsy like I’m sure a lot of us were, but I’m really impressed and satisfied with the moves Hahn did make. Hernandez not the sexiest move but he fits the needs well at a minimal cost. Adding Tepera and now Kimbrel takes the bullpen even past the high, high hopes I had coming off of 2020.

calcetinesblancos

Yeah the irony is that nobody can argue that he’s irreplaceable because he’s not even playing right now lol. I assume the Cubs liked what they saw on the medical info enough, but there’s definitely risk for them here, especially when you wonder what other trades they could have made.

dongutteridge

Rick Hahn crushed the trade deadline!

joewho112

Holy shit!

My big question is if the Sox are picking up all of Kimbrel’s salary.

andyfaust

That’s your biggest question? I can handle this one.

A: who cares?

andyfaust

Vern: Did Lard-ass have to pay to get into the pie-eating contest?

Right Size Wrong Shape

It matters because I’d like to know that Sox picked up the entire salary and didn’t give up Madrigal because they were being cheap. If they are paying all of the freight and it still cost Madrigal I can live with that. But if they could have got him for a lesser player, that would be interesting to know. Jackass.

andyfaust

I’m sorry. a bit harsh. So for an example of what you’re wondering, maybe sox were not willing to pay more than half of his salary, so as a result the asking price became Madrigal when it could have been a much less valuable guy if the Sox would simply pay the whole salary? I’m assuming they are paying all of it, but i get your point and i apologize.

Right Size Wrong Shape

You are not a jackass. Sorry, I’m a little fired up right now. And yeah, that’s what I was getting at.

Last edited 2 years ago by Right Size Wrong Shape
andyfaust

haha, nah you were right the first time. I was def being a jackass. I’m fired up too.

To further analyze your question, i think Hahn would be an idiot not to use full payment of Kimbrel’s salary to gain leverage when negotiating the return. I don’t think Hahn is an idiot. But knowing what we know about the front office, it’s not always his decision.

joewho112

Elite closers usually cost top 100 prospects. This isn’t an overpay

LuBob DuRob

Big price, but if that’s what it takes for Kimbrel, I’d make the move. WS rotation and bullpen now best in baseball.

calcetinesblancos

Wow. This is a win-now move and I’m in shock. Heuer I don’t really care about losing but I love what Nick brings to the table with his ability to put the bat on the ball. It really is elite. But I think expecting him to stay healthier as he ages is delusional.

Also kinda hilarious that if Heuer & Friends hadn’t looked so bad this year, this trade never happens.

grittyiq

Don’t love it or hate it, but definitely surprised they parted with Madrigal. That injury really was too bad as it seemed he was finally starting to barrel up some pitches. Oh well, here’s to hoping our sluggers start slugging in time for a deep postseason run!

billm2214

Really going to miss Madrigal. Trading a fan favorite good hard-working kid like that is tough. Seeing him every year in baby blue lovable-loserland won’t help. If the Sox win the World Series this year it’s worth it. If not, it’ll probably come back to haunt us.

dsbatt

I wonder how much of the willingness to trade Madrigal is the Sox’ belief that Burger could play 2b with a full off-season (and cushion with Cesar Hernandez next year)…

Right Size Wrong Shape

I don’t think they have any belief that Jake Burger can play 2B. Nor should they.

joewho112

This. I assume the plan is to pick up Hernandez’s option assuming he doesn’t shit the bed.

Plan B if for some reason they LOVE Burger is to move Moncada to RF or 2B which I wouldn’t love.

My preference is keep Burger around as a depth piece (assuming he has options left) or trade him for someone who is a better fit

Brett R. Bobysud

When do they have to pick up Hernandez’s option by? Before the FA window opens?

Because if they wanted to kick the tires on Semien to see how much he would cost, then pick up Hernandez’s option if it’s too much, that seems reasonable.

joewho112

I assume before free agency starts. Hernandez’s option is for like $6M so they could pick it up and still sign Semien and use Hernandez as a backup or trade him away

anthonyprinceton

I don’t think Moncada moves off 3B. I also don’t think Burger or Vaughn would be the first internal choice if Hernandez is not brought back. I think Yolbert Sanchez would be the first internal choice.

Ben

The free agent crop is decent up the middle. My dream is signing Chris Taylor.

They have confidence that Vaughn can play second.

Heh. What does that tell you when Vaughn gets a start at second before Burger does. I’ll never be able to unsee Burger trying to catch those foul balls in Charlotte.

I’m pretty sure Vaughn and Burger are both not great options to play 2b. I think it was easy to pick Vaughn over Burger for 2 reasons:

  1. Vaughn was on the roster and Burger wasn’t.
  2. Vaughn was in KC and Burger was almost a thousand miles away.
asinwreck

So you’re saying Burger’s range is limited?

David

????
Riposte of the year!

As Cirensica

White Sox 2B in the future is likely Jose Rodriguez. No Burger. No Vaughn.

asinwreck

Or one of the many who seem to be out on the open market at any time.

As Cirensica

That too…maybe even Madrigal! In 5 years.

yinkadoubledare

Romy Gonzalez might be an option at some point next year or 2023. Sizeable step forward this year in a notoriously tough hitters park in Bham.

Infield Grass

Given how extreme high strikeout/flyball the rotation is outside of Dallas the idea of playing Vaughn at 2B isn’t quite as crazy as I initially though it was. They might be able to get away with it a couple of times a week.

polishwith

This breaks my heart, but I guess it is what it takes to compete with the likes of LA. I really liked that little guy

Yolmer

I liked Madrigal a lot and think he will hit for power enough to make him a more than standard 2-3 WAR second baseman. I like Burger a lot too though and think Moncada can add some rightfield positional flexibility over the offseason. But the most important part of this deal is three words: Kopech, Kimbrel, Hendricks. You can really shut down any lead after 6 innings with those three.

Foulkelore

I hope they can find some low leverage opportunities for Tepera to keep him sharp.

Yolmer

For sure, but in the playoffs they could shut a lead down after 5 innings really since they can all pitch more than 3 outs. I liked Madrigal a lot, but the 2015 Royals showed how powerful that kind of bullpen can be.

Foulkelore

Yep, I agree completely. My comment was in no way meant to disparage yours or indicate you missed anything. It was tongue-in-cheek about how yesterday a lot of us were very happy with the Tepera addition, as the necessity that it was, and today, they are so loaded that he’s their 4th best RHP in the bullpen.

Michael Kenny

Am I the only one who thinks this trade is completely absurd? I’m not even the high guy on Madrigal, but this is just such an astronomical price for a team with no World Series guarantees.

Brett R. Bobysud

They sold high on Madrigal and the Cubs think Heuer will bounce back to his form from last season.

It could be a steep price, but at this point, it kind of looks like the Sox sold high on this.

Michael Kenny

How is trading a guy who’s out for the season with an injury selling high?

yinkadoubledare

It’s less than the Cubs paid for Chapman in 2016. And Kimbrel doesn’t have domestic violence on his record either, thankfully. Do we have a guarantee at getting to the World Series? Of course not, no one ever does. Does this make getting to and winning a World Series considerably more likely this year, and maybe next year? Hell yeah it does.

andyfaust

Overpay, maybe. Absurd, nah.

How would you feel if it were Burger rather than Madrigal?

joewho112

Much better

andyfaust

I assume most Sox fans would as well. I’m cool with the trade but I hope Hahn at least tried to move Burger first.

GrinnellSteve

When I saw Kimbrel, I assumed Burger was the headliner.

asinwreck

The alternate take is this is maybe the only year the Sox have two Cy Young finalists in their rotation and have a guaranteed ticket to the postseason given the rest of the division. Stocking up to try to shut down the Houston and Boston offenses is a plan based on the season’s results to date.

Last edited 2 years ago by asinwreck
jhomeslice

Can’t disagree there. A month ago I thought the Sox would lose both Lynn and Rodon. At least now they will have a great shot this year, and Lynn for a while.

soxygen

I’d go ahead and pencil us in for 2022, based on what Cleveland and
Minnesota just did. And next year Kopech will be in the rotation. Most of our core is young, and many of our most important players haven’t even reached their peaks.

I loved the Tepera and Hernandez trades. This one not as much. But
flags fly forever, as they say. It will be fun to watch this play out.

Brett R. Bobysud

Even before the deadline, I’ve thought Detroit is gonna be the Sox big competition in the division starting next year.

yinkadoubledare

They have some dudes coming from the minors on the hitting side and they’ve had the pitching side working with the major league team. They’ll be at least cromulent next year.

Michael Kenny

The Tigers are going to sign Carlos Correa. Book it.

calcetinesblancos

It says a lot about how both Cleveland and Minnesota feel about the Sox that they both decided to throw in the towel this year and next.

metasox

Don’t know about MN, but I expect Cleveland will expect to compete next season at least as well as much as this season

JDWakefield

You mean like the other 29 teams have ‘guarantees’…got it.

calcetinesblancos

I’m confused. If you aren’t that high on Madrigal then what’s the problem?

anthonyprinceton

This is a move for the postseason. While no one is guaranteed the World Series, the Sox are pretty much guaranteed to make the playoffs. The going rate for elite RP is at least 1 top 100 prospect so I don’t see an issue here, particularly when he can be brought back in 2022 for a reasonable price.

Ben

Totally agree this is a move with eyes on the playoffs. An elite bullpen is a huge weapon in the bullpen.

A move that drastically increases the ability to make a deep playoff for a guy that doesn’t hurt this team at all feels like a win. Hahn is taking this shot at a winner seriously.

vanillablue

I have a mostly irrational hatred of Kimbrel – I despise relievers who seem to take 10 minutes between every pitch, and I especially hate his goofy look-how-INTENSE-I-am stance while getting the signs. More rationally, he was flat out awful for two seasons prior to this one, and even though the Sox have an option for next year, I can’t see him wanting to share closer duties in his free agent year. I don’t think very highly of Madrigal but I just don’t see this as a move the Sox needed to make, especially since they gave a huge contract to Hendriks this past offseason.

joewho112

Easy solution, pick up his option and trade him for a top 100 prospect

ThisReallySox

Well I doubt he gets 16 million next year no matter the role. I am sure he will be fine with whatever as long as they are winning. Plus Hendricks is no slouch so it may be easier to defer mentally

yinkadoubledare

As long as he doesn’t get hurt or something, an ace reliever on a 1 year, 16 million dollar contract is not something you can get in free agency, not even close. I think picking up the option ought to be a no brainer. If they don’t want to pay him, someone else will absolutely give them something for it.

Ben

Worst case scenario is a QO and comp pick if the front office doesn’t want to risk picking up the option.

joewho112

Kenny Williams must have really nailed down his Rick Hahn impression

burning-phoneix

comment image

Brett R. Bobysud

Also, admittedly this is a Cubs question now, but which of Hoerner and Madrigal do they have change position?

Last edited 2 years ago by Brett R. Bobysud
yinkadoubledare

Hoerner. Madrigal isn’t a SS at all, and Hoerner might actually end up in center field, they already used him out there some already this year

Yeah, I think Madrigal’s arm precludes him from playing anywhere but 2B.

jorgefabregas

I see different WAR values tossed out on here for Madrigal’s floor and ceiling.

Just to clarify his performance this season, he was on a 3.9 fWAR/600 PA pace without a crazy BABIP or anything that looked unsustainable. If he’s healthy and performs at that rate for 5 years for the Cubs, that’s huge value.

So the main question to me seems how healthy he’ll be.

Someone said a 5 WAR ceiling would be hard to reach, but it would basically just take a hot BABIP + health to reach that a couple times.

The health question is real though, that can’t be hand-waved away.

Last edited 2 years ago by jorgefabregas
joewho112

If I were projecting Madrigal for a given year, I’d assume 120 games vs. 155. Sure he might have years where he reaches 155 but I wouldn’t pencil it in.

Greg Nix

he was on a 3.9 fWAR/600 PA pace without a crazy BABIP or anything that looked unsustainable

That’s not necessarily true. He was posting a .120 ISO when he got hurt, which is 31 points higher than his minor league career and and 91(!) points higher than the 29 games he played in 2020. Which means that .774 OPS is pretty, pretty dependent on bloop doubles into no-man’s land.

He looked pretty good this season, but not good enough that he resolved the questions about his ceiling.

jorgefabregas

When your average exit velocity goes up 2 mph, an ISO bump doesn’t seem out of the question. His wOBA and xwOBA match up pretty much perfectly and the projection systems see his true talent ISO closer to this year than last year.

Last edited 2 years ago by jorgefabregas
Yolmer

I think Madrigal can crack double digit homers and round out his defense. He might be a 4-5 WAR player those years or even above. But WAR seems like an imperfect measurement for players like Madrigal compared to mashers. Eloy in a full season can hit over 45 dingers but struggle to crack 4 WAR because of either bad defense in left or adding no defense at DH. I’d take the dingers though and say Jimenez is the more valuable player. WAR is imperfect for Kimbrel and Hendricks too since they will never accumulate the innings to have truly great season WAR wise. This is kind a roundabout way of saying Madrigal will probably stack WAR over his career, but it might not reflect his overall impact on winning or his relative value in the context of constructing a winning team.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

I’ve never bought into WAR being a perfect metric. The MVP’s of the past century have been determined by things like homers, rbi’s, average, runs, slugging percentage. It’s not like nobody knew anything about baseball or how to evaluate and compare players before WAR was invented.

WAR has its place but I don’t believe it is wise to reduce player value to a single number. Baseball is way too complex for that.

Last edited 2 years ago by LamarHoyt_oncrack
As Cirensica

I actually think that, this year, Kimbrel is better than Hendriks.

joewho112

My one small worry is that some closers seem to struggle in non-save situations. Not sure if Kimbrel or Hendriks is like that but the thought is there

jhomeslice

Clearly true, I mean 0.49 ERA destroys any argument against that. I hope he is the closer, personally.

DuhSox

Hendriks has stated many times that he will pitch anytime, 6th inning whatever, now he may be BS’ing, but it may not be a problem making Kimbrel the close, or alternating them so we have a top closer available every night, and/or those bad 10th innings.

yinkadoubledare

Hendriks is also under contract after Kimbrel is gone. He’s probably not going to give too much of a crap about moving off the closer spot (if that’s what happens) when he’s already locked in to getting paid like one.

dwjm3

I suspect both of them will close out games. It helps keep both guys fresh.

David

it seems like a big part of Madrigal’s offensive armory is beating out infield singles. If the hamstring surgery has any residual effect, it would really lower his ceiling.

jhomeslice

I am curious what the consensus opinion of this trade will be on here. I’m luke warm, but at the same time, have to give props to Hahn for doing something different. I don’t think Madrigal projects to be near best at his position in MLB, and he cannot help them this year at all. So they went for it… gutsy move.

And now, their bullpen certainly does not suck!

soxfan

It’s a fine trade. Current value for future value. I don’t know what the discount rate for net present value of WAR is, but I’ll take 6 WAR from Kimbrel over the next year and a half when the team is poised to win a title rather than as much as 20 WAR from Madrigal when the last 10-15 might come in years that don’t matter from a playoff/championship perspective. If we could count on the “window” being open for five years, then it’s probably an overpay. But if the “window” is two years – as seems to be the consensus – then the marginal value of Kimbrel’s short-term wins are worth more even if Madrigal produces more WAR overall for the Cubs than Kimbrel does for the Sox.

yinkadoubledare

I don’t know if the window is just two years, I don’t think I’d agree with that either. But the title window is definitely open now. They are going to make the playoffs as a division champ. And Kimbrel inarguably makes them more likely to win in the playoffs. Madrigal’s a nice player but you have to give up talent to get talent, and I think 2nd base is a spot that’s easier to replace in free agency than some others.

jhomeslice

Yeah, you can’t argue with it. I mean, you have to take risks sometimes. This seems like a very reasonable one, that could pay off in October. I really think their chances in October were very, very low prior to the trades yesterday and today, personally.

Joliet Orange Sox

Rays pick up Jordan Luplow. Luplow has been a Sox-killer for the Future Guardians as 8 of his 30 career homers are against the Sox.

Last edited 2 years ago by Joliet Orange Sox
asinwreck

Yep. Between Cruz and Luplow, the Sox have to prevent the Rays from relocating into the AL Central.

andyfaust

Honestly I might take my chances facing them a few more times with their former clubs rather than face them in the ALCS with TBRays.

Last edited 2 years ago by andyfaust
xubrent

This almost makes me as emotionally confused as the Thome – Rowand trade in ’06.

A part of me is happy because this is significantly affects how I feel about our chances for this year.

But Madrigal man! I loved that our Little Slappy !!

Puma84

Does this call for an emergency podcast? ????????

burning-phoneix

Honestly shocked that both Heur and Madrigal are moving across town. I don’t hate this deal but I thought Madrigal was gonna be a Sox for life (or at least until he hits like the last year of Arb).

Who are the Sox banking on to step up as the second basemen of the future while Hernandez buys them a season or two?
Jake Burger?
Romy Gonzales?
Yolbert Sanchez?
ANDREW VAUGHN?
Moving Moncada back to 2nd?

jhomeslice

I don’t know about the future, but I’m fine with Hernandez next year. I’m intrigued by his power and that he seems to be really finding himself as a hitter. Much as he will never hit for average, his power is way ahead of Madrigal, so his productivity might be comparable, or at least not a huge drop.

He won a gold glove last year but I’ve read many comments suggesting he is having a pretty sub-par year fielding. Will be interesting to watch, at least we know he will hit better than Garcia or Mendick.

burning-phoneix

Even if he doesn’t hit for power, Hernadez always has at least decent OBP so he’ll be a useful bat.

Puma84

Same here with Madrigal. I was hoping they could make a deal with Burger being the headliner since he’s blocked at 3B and we have enough DH/1B. The list of 2B free agents is not great. Picking up Hernandez option for only 6 million buys us some time for maybe an upgrade in next years trade deadline or a better group of free agents in 2023. Hopefully they’ll spend on a RF, maybe Blackmon, a backup catcher and more pitching, especially if Rodon goes elsewhere.

MarketMaker

i guess if you think madrigal was playing at his ceiling and/or injuries are going to be an ongoing issue for him, then this trade can make sense. if the sox weren’t always crying poor, i’d feel a lot better about giving away plus production at the league minimum and with a production shape that doesn’t get paid in arbitration.

while it’s hard to argue with the season kimbrel is having, reliever volatility definitely is a thing. and even a guy who’s been as lockdown as he has could turn into a liability next season. i guess, ultimately, it’s just frustrating that the sox are once again dead last in the farm rankings, which forced us to trade away guys that are contributing at the big league level.

money or prospects, you gotta have one and you prefer to have both. feels like we might be hearing about how we have neither in just a year or two.

shaggy65

I’d be upset if we traded away the Nick Madrigal that we drafted–the guy with 70 speed, a high baseball IQ, and Gold Glove defense.

MSquared

Even though he was a likable player, I like the trade. He hit the ball with all of the authority of Mike Carusso, couldnt bunt( and take advantage of the supposed speed?), played a bad second base, and was a horrible base runner. Fun to watch, but so was Yolmer!

LamarHoyt_oncrack

Kimbrel has an ERA of 2+ runs less and has about 300 more career saves than Liam. Kimbrel has only two blown saves compared to 5 for Liam. Liam is good, Kimbrel right now is otherworldly. If I’m TLR, Kimbrel is the closer.

Soxfan2

I’m a Madrigal lover so I was disappointed we traded him at first. As more time passed, I came to my senses. Of all our young guys, he was the most tradeable asset and he has been injury prone.

Two things can be true, Madrigal will be a very good 2B for a long time and Kimbrel increases our World Series odds by a big margin.

Having Kimbrel on deck is a huge boost to our bullpen this year and next year. Kimbrel for the next 1.5 years increases our WS odds than Madrigal for the next 1.5. Yes, Madrigal being injured obviously favors Kimbrel.

I love Madrigal’s skillset but will he be a true difference maker? Depends on your opinion of him. I think he’s much closer to a 2.5-3 WAR second basemen than a true all-star level talent.

If you are a believer in the Sox drafting/developing as of late, you may have optimism that they can find/develop another above average second baseman. Time will tell.

Marty34

Not a fan of this deal because I’m skeptical that the offense will be able to go toe-to-toe with the offenses of the playoff teams. Nightmare scenario is the bullpen for the ages never pitches with a lead in October as the Sox are swept.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

That’s the darkest thing I’ve read from anybody the past two days. Gotta leave some room for the light, geez!

phillyd

the Sox have scored the 4th most runs in all of baseball and have the 4th highest wRC+ to go with it and it looks like the stars may align and all of their regulars may be in the lineup come October. I know it has been a rough week, but all is not lost.