Chicago White Sox: Grading every trade deadline week deal
The Chicago White Sox went into deadline week hoping to make some deals that would solidify them as the favorite to win the American League Central Division. Beyond that, they want to have a chance at the American League pennant. They weren’t blessed with health in 2021 but they have made the best of it with what they have.
They knew that they have performed well enough without some of their big players being there. They also knew that if they got healthy and made some more additions, they would have a serious chance this year. Of course, now they are starting to get healthy and the trade deadline was a big day on the calendar for them.
We know about the players who have stepped up this year. There have been some expected stars and some unexpected stars. Either way, we know that the White Sox had the starting pitching to win a lot of games and the rest of the roster was coming along. There have been some moves that they have made that should now have them ready to go for the big prize.
The White Sox haven’t been the only active team so far this season either. There are a lot of good teams that got a lot better and there are some bad teams that made themselves worse. All that matters, however, is that the White Sox did what they needed to do in order to improve their chances.
The Chicago White Sox have made some really nice trades so far this season.
Each move they made this week will have its pros and cons. We can believe that each trade certainly has more pros which is exactly what the White Sox needs right now. These are the grades that each deadline week trade made deserves:
The Chicago White Sox made a big trade with a division rival on Thursday.
The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians making a trade was not something anybody expected to see happen during trade deadline week. The White Sox have a solid lead over them for first place in the American League Central but it is still the top two teams in the division. Cleveland seems to be handing it over to the Sox as they just helped Chicago’s chances of beating them for the division crown.
The trade was a great one for the White Sox. They traded Konnor Pilkington to Cleveland in exchange for second baseman Cesar Hernandez. This is a need that the White Sox absolutely needed to address. When Nick Madrigal went down for the season, it was clear that they needed help at that position. Well, this is their help.
Danny Mendick and Leury Garcia are fine bench players that can play some solid second base but they shouldn’t be everyday starters on a World Series caliber team. Hernandez will now come in and assume that role for them. He hits well which is a key factor too.
His ability to strike for power and contact will make him a valuable piece in their batting order. He is also a Gold Glove-winning defensive second baseman as well which is really nice. The White Sox won’t regret this one at all.
Trade Grade: A
It was nice to see the Chicago White Sox land themselves a big-time relief pitcher.
The Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs don’t make trades very often. There have been some in the past but you can’t say that you see it all the time. Well, they decided to help each other out on Thursday as each team heads in a different direction. The Cubs are coming down from a stretch of dominance while the White Sox try to get to that level that the Cubs were at a few years ago.
We all knew that the White Sox needed a bullpen arm. Their bullpen isn’t bad by any means but it isn’t as dominant as we thought they would be going into the year. Players like Codi Heuer and Aaron Bummer have had some back luck but they are showing signs of improving. We do know that Michael Kopech, Garrett Crochet, and Liam Hendriks are elite so getting another arm would go a long way.
The White Sox identified Ryan Tepera as someone that they can bring in to help them out. If you slot him right there with Kopech and Hendriks as late-inning guys, they look like a very good bullpen. His numbers suggest that he will really be able to help close down games. There are a lot of teams in the league that would like to have this guy.
In a perfect world, Tepera is the guy that Kopech hands the ball to in order for them to get to Hendriks in the 9th. As the season goes along, this could go down as one of the most important moves that Rick Hahn made in 2021. In this era, the bullpen is incredibly important. Anyone who wants to make a deep run needs a good bullpen and the White Sox are striving to do that.
Trade Grade: A+
The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox actually pulled off another big trade.
The Chicago White Sox made their biggest trade of the week just a little bit before the actual 3 PM deadline. They sent Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. It is a huge trade for both teams as the White Sox build for now and the Cubs build for the future. Coming after the Tepera trade, the White Sox now have an absolutely stacked bullpen.
Craig Kimbrel will team up with Liam Hendriks for the best closer duo in the history of the team. One of them could even be a setup man depending on the game situation. With other setup guys like Ryan Tepera, Michael Kopech, and Aaron Bummer in the mix, they should have no problem winning games that they lead going into the seventh inning.
It is tough (although worth it) for the White Sox to lose Nick Madrigal. He is out for the season with a hamstring injury but it is so worth it to get a pitcher like Kimbrel. He is going to be a great player for the Cubs when he is healthy. The ball doesn’t miss his bat and he is becoming one of the best contact hitters in all of baseball. Codi Heuer needs to develop his command a bit more but his stuff is so nasty. Pitching with the Cubs now will take pressure off him as he can work on his pitching more than worrying about winning.
It isn’t often that the White Sox and Cubs make any trades at all. The fact that they made one on back to back days is even more surprising. Each team is hoping that they work out because there is a lot of pressure on these guys to perform now. Hopefully, the White Sox bullpen benefits from adding Kimbrel as much as you would think it can.
Trade Grade: A
The Chicago White Sox made a great trade for Craig Kimbrel. light. Related Story