The Chicago White Sox could land multiple prospects for Craig Kimbrel.
Another deal the White Sox and Mets could swing could help the White Sox bolster their farm system with guys that won’t immediately make an impact could look like this:
White Sox receive LHP Josh Walker, LHP Thomas Szapucki, and RHP Eric Orze.
Mets receive RHP Craig Kimbrel.
Walker is ranked as the Mets’ seventeenth best prospect and has struggled at times in the minors. He has accumulated a 4.21 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 50 games and 27 starts. He is 27 but he throws strikes and could provide rotation depth or turn into a long reliever out of the bullpen. If he works with Ethan Katz, he could address some of the issues that have kept him in the minors for the last four years.
Szapucki is ranked as the Mets’ twentieth best prospect and struggled in his one appearance with the Mets in 2021. Over his time in the minors, he has accumulated a 2.80 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. He is only 25 and if he works with Katz for a short while, he may be able to tap into some of the potential he has shown and become a solid back end of the rotation pitcher.
Ozre was drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB draft and ranks as the Mets’ twenty-sixth best prospect. He wasn’t able to play in the minors in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic but moved quickly up the ranks in 2021. He started the year in A+ ball and ended the year in AAA.
He is a relief pitcher similar to Codi Heuer in terms of moving up quickly and being dominant in his short time in the minors. He has plus stuff that could be of help to the White Sox bullpen. In 34 games, he totaled 49.2 innings pitched, 67 strikeouts, a 3.05 ERA, and a 1.05 WHIP.
He also held opposing batters to a .209 batting average and has a solid pitch mix, throwing a mid 90s fastball, an average slider, and a dominant low 80s splitter.