As Opening Day draws closer, a pair of teams swapped strength-for-strength to improve weaknesses on their teams.
The White Sox sent reliever Craig Kimbrel to the Dodgers in exchange for outfielder AJ Pollock on Friday, according to MLB.com.
For Kimbrel, this is the fourth different team over the past five seasons for an ace reliever that is the active career leader in saves with 372. This will be only the third different team for Pollock, who had spent the past three seasons with the Dodgers.
This was a move that provides an upgrade to positions of weakness for both teams, and helps make each squad better heading into the 2022 campaign. Who won the deal? The Sporting News breaks down the trade of veterans.
Craig Kimbrel-AJ Pollock trade grades
Dodgers receive:
- CP Craig Kimbrel
White Sox receive:
- OF AJ Pollock
Dodgers grade: A-
Los Angeles has counted on Kenley Jansen to be its shutdown closer. Dating back to 2012, he had racked up 341 saves, the most of any pitcher during that span. But Jansen left in free agency to sign a one-year, $16 million deal to become the new closer for the Braves. It seems only fitting that now a former Braves' closer will go to Los Angeles.
Much like Jansen, Kimbrel bounced back from a pair of down years to one of his best seasons in 2021. He split the season with the Cubs and White Sox after he was traded between Chicago towns during the middle of the season. He finished the year with a 2.26 ERA, his lowest since 2017, and he racked up 24 saves.
But with the White Sox, he was no longer counted on to be the closer. Chicago already had Liam Hendriks, and kept him as the full-time stopper at the end. Instead, Kimbrel was primarily a setup man.
At this point, the Dodgers don't really need anything, but if they were looking to improve the roster, the bullpen was the place to start. Without Jansen, Blake Treinen was likely set to be the closer. Last year, Treinen had a 1.99 ERA in 72.1 innings. Acquiring Kimbrel means Treinen can remain one of the game's elite setup arms.
This move allowed Los Angeles to acquire a bona fide closer, who had a better season than Jansen in 2021, and save money by swapping the Pollock contract ($12 million in 2022) for Kimbrel's ($16 million in 2022). And if the move doesn't work, the Dodgers simply won't re-sign Kimbrel in the offseason.
The only reason this trade isn't a full A is because where it closes one hole, it opens another. Pollock was slated to be the starter in left every day, while allowing Chris Taylor to platoon with Cody Bellinger in center field or just give him a break. This move will likely mean Taylor becomes more of a regular in left, and means that Kevin Pillar will be the next bat up at center. The outfield depth no doubt took a hit from this deal.
White Sox grade: A
Kimbrel was going to come into the 2022 season as the most overqualified setup arm in the game. Instead, the White Sox use him to upgrade an obvious need.
The White Sox were already coming into the year with Hendriks back as the closer and an arsenal of qualified setup arms in guys like Aaron Bummer and Kendall Graveman.
But coming into the year, right field felt like one of the gaps for the team. The position was wide open between Adam Engel, Leury Garcia, Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn, the former two of which are more defensive replacements and the latter two being primary first basemen. Sheets and Vaughn are also both heading into just their second season in the big leagues.
Here's how the four performed in 2021, with WAR according to Fangraphs:
| Player | PA | HR | OPS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Engel | 140 | 7 | .832 | 1.2 |
| Leury Garcia | 474 | 5 | .711 | 2.0 |
| Gavin Sheets | 179 | 11 | .830 | 0.4 |
| Andrew Vaughn | 469 | 15 | .705 | 0.3 |
How did Pollock do? He launched 21 home runs, posted a .892 OPS and produced 3.0 fWAR in 422 plate appearances last season as he was used largely in a platoon role for the loaded Dodgers' roster.
Adding Pollock to the lineup gives the White Sox both an upgrade in right field, but the flexibility to use Sheets and Vaughn almost exclusively as the DH tandem and put Engel and Garcia in a position to come off the bench. The White Sox didn't need an extra reliever, but they did need a consistent outfielder to man right field. Pollock now slots into an outfield that already features Eloy Jimenez in left and Luis Robert in center.
