Philadephia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies could look for something big from the Chicago White Sox.
If there was a front runner in the Craig Kimbrel sweepstakes, it may be the Philadephia Phillies. Dave Dombrowski has a reputation for being aggressive and they were one of the first teams linked to Kimbrel when news broke that he was on the trading block.
The Phillies had the talent to make the playoffs last season. Bryce Harper took home National League MVP and Zack Wheeler put together a stellar season that landed him as a Cy Young finalist. However, their bullpen ensured their efforts went to waste.
The Phillies bullpen set a major league record for blown saves in a single season with a whopping 34. They lost the division by 6.5 games. Had they converted half of those they would have won the division. To add insult to injury, they ranked 25th in the majors in ERA and had the third worse bullpen in the MLB in terms of fWAR. Kimbrel would provide them a much-needed boost.
A possible return is Jean Segura. Segura is a two-time All-Star who is coming off a good year. He hit .290 last season with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs in 2021.
The White Sox traded away a second baseman that can hit for average in Nick Madrigal. Segura is a great replacement option because he can also hit for average with slightly more power. He has a lifetime average of .285. In 2016, he led the league with 203 hits. He has hit .290 or higher in five seasons and above the .300 threshold three times.
Segura has played the majority of his career at shortstop but he is more than comfortable at second base. He has logged 302 games there over his nine-year career. Add him in the White Sox lineup and he could do some serious damage in multiple different spots in the order.