Craig Kimbrel, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals. (Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)
The Chicago White Sox have traded away Craig Kimbrel shortly after acquiring him at the trade deadline last season. Cubs fans feel they won the trade.
Chicago received second baseman Nick Madrigal and pitcher Codi Heuer in the trade for their then-star reliever. However, Kimbrel struggled during his tenure with the Cubs’ crosstown rival, so much so that the White Sox opted to cut bait this offseason.
The super-bullpen they hoped to form with Liam Hendriks, Kimbrel and others never came to be. So, Kimbrel is now a Dodger, shipped away less than a year after he arrived in the South Side.
The Dodgers’ bullpen is suddenly stacked, while the White Sox are left asking questions. Mainly, why did Kimbrel struggle in the setup role?
Cubs won the Craig Kimbrel trade
Chicago have Madrigal and Heuer for the next half-decade, which is impressive to say the least. That haul should fare quite well for Jed Hoyer’s club. Meanwhile, the White Sox have already punted on Kimbrel, sending him to Los Angeles where he will (likely) see a career revival.
Cubs fans love to see it.
There were many more, as north side fans are convinced they won the trade. And honestly? They have a right to be cocky.
This offseason, the Cubs added Marcus Stroman, Seiya Suzuki and more. Suddenly, the future looks bright, in large part due to the trade that sent Kimbrel to their crosstown rivals.
Perhaps these two teams should just avoid trading with one another in the near future — the Jose Quintana deal doesn’t look all that great either, Chicago.