The Chicago Cubs and White Sox don't make trades very often, but they've now made two swaps in two days, as All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel is heading to the city's South Side.
Bleacher Nation's Michael Cerami was first to break the news, and ESPN's Jeff Passan confirmed the trade a short time later, and the Cubs and White Sox confirmed the trade just before 2 p.m.
NBC Sports Chicago's David Kaplan had reported that the two teams were engaged in trade talks earlier Friday.
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The trade is the second between the two clubs in two days, as Thursday saw the Cubs send reliever Ryan Tepera to the South Side in exchange for minor league hurler Bailey Horn.
Kimbrel, who has a mutual option on his contract for next season, has a 0.49 ERA and 23 saves for the Cubs this season. He has struck out 64 batters while walking 13 in 36.2 innings of work, posting some of the best numbers of his career to date.
Kimbrel will join a White Sox bullpen that just added Ryan Tepera from the Cubs on Thursday, and already had closer Liam Hendriks in the mix, giving them an extremely formidable set to late-inning pitchers as they gear up for an October run.
Chicago Baseball
Madrigal, one of baseball’s best contact hitters, is out for the remainder of the season, but has plenty of club control left, giving the Cubs a solid top-of-the-lineup type hitter. He has a .305 batting average with 16 extra base-hits and 21 RBI’s this season for the White Sox, and scored 30 runs in 200 at-bats.
The acquisition would seem to point to the Cubs trading away Javier Baez, but it’s unknown what exactly they will plan to do at the position.
Heuer had a strong 2020 for the White Sox, but has struggled in 2021, with a 5.12 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 38.2 innings of work. He has surrendered five home runs and given up 22 earned runs in his 40 appearances.
We'll have more on this story as it develops.
