The Chicago White Sox finally managed to move veteran closer Craig Kimbler. On Friday, the White Sox announced a trade that will see Kimbler heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder AJ Pollock.

The White Sox acquired Kimbler from the Cubs midway through the 2021 MLB season intending to use him in the eighth inning. However, the role proved to be a bad fit for the 33-year-old All-Star and failed to make the kind of impact Chicago hoped for. Using him as a closer, which is his natural role, was not an option due to the presence of star righty Liam Hendriks.

In November, the White Sox picked up Kimbler’s $16 million option for 2022, but the front office publicly admitted the move was made to find a trade partner. In the end, the Dodgers made the call, and both franchises have reasons to feel good about the deal.

The LA team had an interest in getting Kimbler, who has 371 saves and a 2.24 ERA as a closer in MLB, while he was with the Cubs but decided not to pull the trigger since they already had Kenley Jansen at the position. Now, Jansen’s presence won’t be the issue as the 34-year-old player left the Dodgers in free agency to sign with the Atlanta Braves.

On the other hand, the White Sox move Kimbler’s salary off their payroll while getting a player that they can actually use. Pollock, who was an All-Star in 2015, is expected to do most of his work in the right field in 2022.

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Earlier this week, the Chicago White Sox made an expected decision to pick up their 2022 club option on the contract of their Craig Kimbrel. But the All-Star reliever isn’t expected to pitch much for the franchise next season despite this.

Several previous reports indicated that the White Sox have every intention to trade Kimbrel after picking his option and the team’s general manager Rick Hahn did nothing to dispute them while chatting with media on Tuesday. While speaking about the 33-year-old, Hahn said that while Chicago views him as “a potentially impactful reliever,” they are open to moving him if the opportunity presents itself.

“What we have to figure out is if it makes the most sense to have Craig in a White Sox uniform going forward or is there a better use of that spot and him perhaps via trade,” Hahn said.

Kimbrel joined the White Sox via trade from the Chicago Cubs midway through the 2021 MLB season with a reputation of being one of the game’s best closers. But considering they already had a star closer in Liam Hendriks, the team opted to use Kimbrel exclusively in the eighth inning. This proved to be a mistake, however, as the veteran struggled to make a meaningful impact.

Serving as a closer for the Cubs in the first part of the 2021 campaign, Kimbrel had a 0.49 ERA with 63 strikeouts. In the White Sox uniform, however, his ERA skyrocketed to 5.09 and he only managed 36 strikeouts.

Hahn acknowledged Kimbrel’s struggles while pointing out that the two-time Reliever of the Year might have more use to some other team.

“It didn’t work out the way we wanted last year so perhaps there’s a better use of his skills than how we were doing it,” he added. “So we have to reconsider his usage with us versus a potential trade.”

Kimbrel, who also played with the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox among other teams, made eight All-Star selections. He has a career 2.18 ERA with 1,026 strikeouts, while his 372 saves rank 9th on the MLB’s all-time list.

The post White Sox GM Says Team is Open to Moving Craig Kimbrel appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago White Sox finally managed to move veteran closer Craig Kimbler. On Friday, the White Sox announced a trade that will see Kimbler heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder AJ Pollock.

The White Sox acquired Kimbler from the Cubs midway through the 2021 MLB season intending to use him in the eighth inning. However, the role proved to be a bad fit for the 33-year-old All-Star and failed to make the kind of impact Chicago hoped for. Using him as a closer, which is his natural role, was not an option due to the presence of star righty Liam Hendriks.

In November, the White Sox picked up Kimbler’s $16 million option for 2022, but the front office publicly admitted the move was made to find a trade partner. In the end, the Dodgers made the call, and both franchises have reasons to feel good about the deal.

The LA team had an interest in getting Kimbler, who has 371 saves and a 2.24 ERA as a closer in MLB, while he was with the Cubs but decided not to pull the trigger since they already had Kenley Jansen at the position. Now, Jansen’s presence won’t be the issue as the 34-year-old player left the Dodgers in free agency to sign with the Atlanta Braves.

On the other hand, the White Sox move Kimbler’s salary off their payroll while getting a player that they can actually use. Pollock, who was an All-Star in 2015, is expected to do most of his work in the right field in 2022.

The post White Sox Trade Closer Craig Kimbrel to the Dodgers for OF AJ Pollock appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Earlier this week, the Chicago White Sox made an expected decision to pick up their 2022 club option on the contract of their Craig Kimbrel. But the All-Star reliever isn’t expected to pitch much for the franchise next season despite this.

Several previous reports indicated that the White Sox have every intention to trade Kimbrel after picking his option and the team’s general manager Rick Hahn did nothing to dispute them while chatting with media on Tuesday. While speaking about the 33-year-old, Hahn said that while Chicago views him as “a potentially impactful reliever,” they are open to moving him if the opportunity presents itself.

“What we have to figure out is if it makes the most sense to have Craig in a White Sox uniform going forward or is there a better use of that spot and him perhaps via trade,” Hahn said.

Kimbrel joined the White Sox via trade from the Chicago Cubs midway through the 2021 MLB season with a reputation of being one of the game’s best closers. But considering they already had a star closer in Liam Hendriks, the team opted to use Kimbrel exclusively in the eighth inning. This proved to be a mistake, however, as the veteran struggled to make a meaningful impact.

Serving as a closer for the Cubs in the first part of the 2021 campaign, Kimbrel had a 0.49 ERA with 63 strikeouts. In the White Sox uniform, however, his ERA skyrocketed to 5.09 and he only managed 36 strikeouts.

Hahn acknowledged Kimbrel’s struggles while pointing out that the two-time Reliever of the Year might have more use to some other team.

“It didn’t work out the way we wanted last year so perhaps there’s a better use of his skills than how we were doing it,” he added. “So we have to reconsider his usage with us versus a potential trade.”

Kimbrel, who also played with the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox among other teams, made eight All-Star selections. He has a career 2.18 ERA with 1,026 strikeouts, while his 372 saves rank 9th on the MLB’s all-time list.

The post White Sox GM Says Team is Open to Moving Craig Kimbrel appeared first on SportzBonanza.