White Sox: 3 wild Craig Kimbrel trade packages with Phillies
Last week, a report came out that the Philadelphia Phillies are one of the teams that are heavily interested in Craig Kimbrel. It makes sense as the Chicago White Sox picked up his team option with the intention of trading him during the offseason.
The White Sox acquired the Hall of Fame closer at the 2021 MLB Trade Deadline from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer. It is a trade that hasn’t really worked out for the White Sox as they didn’t use Kimbrel the right way during his time on the south side.
They are hoping to salvage losing Madrigal and Heuer by either getting a good return for Kimbrel or seeing him pitch well if they decide to keep him. The White Sox bullpen could certainly use him in 2022 if they never trade him but it certainly sounds like there is interest in his services.
Philadelphia makes a lot of sense for a lot of different reasons. Dave Dombrowski is there making decisions for them now and he has already acquired Kimbrel in a trade once in his career. A reunion might be on the horizon as they have that connection along with the fact that the Phillies could really use a closer.
Phillies need two OFs and a SP (or two), but closer is a priority. On their wish list: Josh Hader, Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen. Since Brewers would require a haul for Hader and Jansen loves LA, their best shot might be Kimbrel, who has a Dombrowski tie (Boston) @MLBNetwork
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 19, 2021
The Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies could make a Craig Kimbrel trade.
If the Phillies added someone like Kimbrel, their bullpen would take a significant step forward if they used him right. He has to be used with a lead in the 9th inning. He proved on the White Sox that he isn’t a setup man in any way. If they feel that he can be good for them in 2022 so they can make it to the playoffs, these three trades could get it done:
The Chicago White Sox could land some good prospects in a Craig Kimbrel deal.
The Chicago White Sox have a bunch of different roads they can take in a Craig Kimbrel trade. One of them could be to just send him to a team willing to give up some pretty good prospects. They are never going to get back what they gave up during this offseason but they can still end up getting some really nice players.
In a trade like this, each team might be getting what they need. Erik Miller is a left-handed pitcher that currently sits as the number nine prospect in Phillies’ farm system. Casey Martin is a shortstop that is currently ranked as the number 13 prospect in that system so there isn’t much separation between the two. Each of them has a fair chance of playing in the MLB on a full-time basis but is not guaranteed.
Casey Martin would be someone that could be considered a backup because we know that Tim Anderson is going to be the shortstop for a long time on this team. However, you never know what he develops into which could help with injuries or even another trade down the line. In the case of Miller, you have a left-handed arm that is very solid, and collecting as many of those as you can is a good idea.
The Chicago White Sox could use Craig Kimbrel to land them an actual team need.
The Chicago White Sox needs help at second base. Everyone wants them to land Marcus Semien and for good reason. He is one of the best hitters in the world and should absolutely be explored. There is no doubt that he should be one of the top options on the market for them right now. However, there is a good plan B if it doesn’t work out.
The Chicago White Sox could trade Craig Kimbrel to the Philadelphia Phillies for their second baseman. Jean Segura is a great player and would fit in on the Chicago White Sox very well as they try to stack the middle of their infield. The talents he brings are perfect as the new second baseman and using Kimbrel to get him would be really smart for both sides.
In 2021, Segura slashed .290/.348/.436 for an OPS of .784. That is a great slash line for him as he also hit 14 home runs and had 58 RBIs with 76 runs scored. Adding that level of production to the White Sox lineup in place of what it got in 2021 from that position would be great. If this happened and they added a legit outfielder to play right, it would be an elite batting order in all nine spots.
Adding prospects could be a good idea for the Chicago White Sox in a Kimbrel trade.
The Chicago White Sox are a good team at the MLB level. They are certainly in win-now mode after two straight years in the postseason for the first time ever. They have talent all over the big league roster and are going to have that for a long time. With that in mind, they could also continue building while winning at the MLB level as well.
Trading Craig Kimbrel could land prospects in order to add to the farm if that is the route they wanted to go. Unlike the first trade package, this one has a higher-ranked prospect and a lower-ranked prospect instead of two middle-of-the-pack prospects. This also doesn’t have a full-time MLB player involved either like trade two.
This trade is Ethan Wilson who is the number seven Phillies prospect and Kyle Dohy who is the number 27 prospect. Wilson is an outfielder and Dohy is a left-handed pitcher. This is just the type of trade that just gives the White Sox prospect depth and Kimbrel off the books. If that is the only type of deal they can make, they should do it.
Craig Kimbrel to the Phillies just makes a whole lot of sense. He is an elite reliever that is going to do great things once he finds his groove again. Unfortunately, it didn’t work with the White Sox but there is still a way to get something out of that trade. Hopefully, it helps the team.
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