Craig Kimbrel is one of the greatest closers who ever lived. Unfortunately, his time with the Chicago White Sox has come to an end as he is has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for A.J. Pollock.
Kimbrel was acquired by the White Sox last year in exchange for Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer. That trade between the White Sox and Chicago Cubs definitely favored the north side squad but the White Sox might have just made up for it.
With Kenley Jansen moving on to the Atlanta Braves, the need for a closer was there for the Los Angeles Dodgers who have the best roster in Major League Baseball. They literally now have everything that they need in order to try and win the World Series for the second time in three years.
One team that will potentially be in their way is the White Sox. When healthy, AJ Pollock is a fantastic outfielder. He is going to be perfect for this team in right field as they no longer have to platoon two first basemen at the position.
Dodgers acquire Craig Kimbrel for AJ Pollack @Feinsand 1st
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 1, 2022
The Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have made a huge trade.
Pollock is going to play right while Vaughn and Sheets can concentrate on what they do best which is hitting. Rick Hahn made a fantastic deal here and the White Sox are now a better team today than they were yesterday.
In his career, Pollock has been an All-Star, a Gold Glove Award winner, and a World Series Champion. That type of experience will be amazing for this very young White Sox team. They can use him to their advantage both on and off the field as he can bring tons to the table in terms of that aforementioned experience.
Pollock is very good offensively as well. We know about his Gold Glove-caliber play so his bat making an impact will make him even more valuable. Last year, he slashed .297/.355/.536 for an OPS of .892 which is absolutely awesome. He hit 21 home runs, drove in 69, and scored 53 runs.
All of this accumulated a 3.1 WAR. He is going to get even more playing time with the White Sox which could boost his numbers even more. He will also be well protected in this lineup just like he was with the Dodgers. This is a great trade and now this lineup is about ready to go for 2022.