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.