The Chicago White Sox made one really bold trade ahead of the 2021 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.
They sent Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. It was an odd move right away as the Sox added an elite closer in Kimbrel while Liam Hendriks was there as an even better closer.
Tony La Russa was insistent on Kimbral pitching in the 8th inning to set up Liam Hendriks despite the ninth inning being all that Kimbrel knew. Yes, it matters.
Of course, Kimbrel sort of failed in that role and just simply wasn't very good with the Chicago White Sox. It was pretty obvious that he would be let go after the season and the Sox lost the trade.
The Chicago White Sox didn't get killed in the Nick Madrigal trade.
Not so fast. The Cubs still have Heuer and Madrigal in their organization which probably makes it a win for them but they are not productive. Heuer appeared in 25 games with the Cubs to end that 2021 season and hasn't touched a Major League mound since.
Heuer is in AAA right now as he is about to come back from Tommy John surgery which is the reason he has been out but there is no proof that he is going to be good anymore. For his sake as a baseball player, it would be nice to see him return to play and do well.
Nick Madrigal, on the other had, was injured when the White Sox traded him. He wasn't to return that 2021 season but he was ready for the Cubs in 2022. He just wasn't very good for them all of last year or to start this year.
On Thursday, we found out that the Cubs were making a move with Madrigal. They sent him down to the AAA Iowa Cubs. That is a shocking move at this point because of what we thought Madrigal was. It was also done to make room on the roster for Kyle Hendricks as he will return.
When he was with the White Sox, Madrigal looked like the perfect number nine or leadoff hitter. His ability to slap baseballs for singles continuously was as good as we've seen. Now, it doesn't seem as if the Cubs see it the same way anymore.
He has a very limited skill set but you liked your chances of getting an RBI out of him if runners were in scoring position. Things just haven't been good for him with the Cubs as it seems like he is ineffective if he can't be a singles-machine baseball player.
Again, for the sake of the baseball player in him, it would be nice to see him find a way back to MLB to stay. It is also good to know that the White Sox didn't hand over a Cy Young candidate or a 30 home run hitter.