The Chicago White Sox has an outstanding bullpen. There are so many good flamethrowers in it that can help shut things down after the starter comes out. With the addition of Joe Kelly on Saturday, it appears that they might have the best bullpen in the league.
It is certainly the most powerful in terms of velocity. A lot of their arms can reach the high 90s and even get it into triple digits from time to time. One of those pitchers is Craig Kimbrel who came over to the team at the trade deadline of 2021.
Kimbrel was acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer. It looks like it is a trade that favors the Cubs for now because Madrigal is a really good slap hitter and Heuer has a powerful arm as well.
Heuer is out for the season now after Tommy John and Madrigal has a ceiling to his hitting because of his lack of power. However, they will be good players for the Cubs for a long time so it is hard to argue that they won the trade.
Kimbrel also didn’t pitch that well with the White Sox. He was the best reliever in the league in the first half of the season with the Cubs but he just couldn’t find it with the White Sox. As a result, rumors of his eventual trade out of town started.
Now that spring training is underway and the lockout is over, we have started to hear from certain coaches and players. Tony La Russa spoke on Kimbrel and had a notable quote about the whole situation. He seems to believe that Kimbrel will be on Chicago’s roster at the start of the season.
Tony La Russa expects Craig Kimbrel to be on White Sox' 2022 roster @NBCSWhiteSox https://t.co/V7Q7cXapyu
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) March 12, 2022
Craig Kimbrel could turn out to be a complete weapon for the Chicago White Sox.
That is honestly good news. They are not going to get the return that they gave up to get him so they might as well try and get the most out of him in 2022. Kimbrel is one of the greatest closers who ever lived and he should be treated with respect.
Let’s be honest, Kimbrel has had bumpy starts with new teams in his career at times. He has always bounced back though. The White Sox could have a gem here that could help them win a World Series in 2022. He has had significant success in the postseason before.
La Russa also didn’t use him as a closer in 2021. Liam Hendriks is the main guy as he should be. Hendriks won the Reliever of the Year Award because he was so good. However, that doesn’t mean that he is available every day and could share closing duties with Kimbrel.
They get along well and both desperately want to win. They will do whatever they need to do in order for that to happen. There are two guys in Aaron Bummer and Joe Kelly who are great setup men so they don’t need Kimbrel in that role. Both Kimbrel and Hendriks should close games and keep each other fresh.