The Chicago White Sox could look for prospects in exchange for Craig Kimbrel.
The Philadelphia Phillies came up short in 2021. A lot of people expected them to be a decent team and they were but they weren’t good enough to be a playoff team in the NL East. Bryce Harper turned in an MVP level season and it wasn’t good enough for the team around him. That is why they will look to bolster their roster over the winter.
Craig Kimbrel would be a great addition to the Phillies as their closer. Hector Neris had an up and down 2021 season in that role and is about to hit free agency. The Phillies would probably see Kimbrel as an upgrade as long as they were able to use him the right way. The White Sox learned the hard way that not using him as a closer isn’t a good idea.
Of course, Dave Dombrowski has traded for Kimbrel once before. As the GM of the Boston Red Sox, Dombrowski made a huge deal to bring over Kimbrel and they eventually won a World Series together. There is reason to believe that he would do that again.
Mickey Moniak is a former number one overall pick in the MLB Draft that the Phillies just haven’t been able to develop. If the White Sox brought him in, he could be a candidate to play right field for them going forward. It isn’t a guarantee that it would work but a change of scenery might be just what he needs.
Adding in Kyle Dohy and Gunner Mayer as extra prospects in the trade would make it even more worth it for both teams. They aren’t top-level prospects but you never know what happens when these guys start to develop more. The Phillies might need the Sox to retain a bit on Kimbrel in a deal like this which would be smart to do if you are Rick Hahn. This feels like a good match.