Chicago White Sox

And it’s totally fair to feel uneasy about this. IMO, we paid a significant cost to get Kimbrel and it could look ugly down the road. I’ll admit I’ve been hesitant to give up too much of the future for a win now move, but I woke up this morning and saw what every other team was doing and was hoping there was one big trade left in us. And Kimbrel is literally one of the most impactful players we could have acquired. If you’re going to give up a valuable piece like Madrigal, at least cash in on a guy who greatly enhances your chances of winning a World Series.

Abreu, Kimbrel, & Keuchel (hopefully) are free agents after the 2022 season. Yes, the core will continue to get more & more expensive, but there will be some salary relief coming.

I’ll keep saying it, but the Sox have routinely rocked top 10 payrolls when attendance is there. The #10 payroll this year would be ~$170M. I’d wager a ton of money that they hit or exceed that target next year. I don’t think we add both a pricey 2B or RF, but they will almost certainly add one or the other IMO. Honestly, outside of some middle relief help, there won’t be much else to add. Having so much of the core locked up and having Sheets & Burger as cheap replacement options for Abreu eventually allows us splurge in those areas.

Exactly

You’re 100% wrong on this. It’s readily apparent that Kimbrel’s shit 2019 & 2020 seasons had nothing to do with deterioration of stuff, which is why projection models that bake those in heavily in their go forward projections are going to be way off. Baseball has a ton of pitchers right now who have maintained high levels of production at advanced ages. The game has changed and there is zero reason to suggest Kimbrel won’t continue to be elite over the next year and a half.

He’s replaceable but I think you greatly undervalue him.

He did before his self ban I believe

You think the Cubs got a better offer than 3 win 2B under control for the next five years and a controllable reliever with back-end stuff?

Madrigal is a really good player and this is a steep price to pay no doubt. I think it’s fine to be concerned if this is the right move long-term, but people trying to argue that Kimbrel is an insignificant upgrade for the 2021 season is laughable. I know you’re not arguing that BTW, but just seems like a handful of posters are downplaying Kimbrel’s potential impact because they don’t like the price.

Holy fuck...dude has a 100 percentile xwOBA. He’s legit the real deal and has the track record to support it. Guys are capable of having a bad season without it being predictive of anything.

You’re making assumptions about their financial situation going forward and I’d argue it’s hard to imagine they make this move if there is not sizable payroll increase coming. Both attendance & ratings are way up this year and Jerry has historically sported top 10 payrolls (or better) when the fans have showed up. That’s not to mention that playoff revenue is all but a certainty at this point. I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re planning on a major push for Semien or something of that nature this offseason.

This move is about winning a World Series in 2021 and Kimbrel is pretty much hands down the most impactful player we could have added. If you’re only worried about maximizing surplus value, then we lost the deal the moment the trade was accepted. But if the goal is to win a championship, you just added arguably the best reliever in baseball to a bullpen that will also include Liam Hendriks & Michael Kopech. We basically have three guys that can come in any situation and hold a lead behind what should be one of the top playoff playoff rotations. Yeah, the price sucks but Madrigal can be replaced in some capacity and Kimbrel can be flipped for prospects in the offseason if need be to recoup some of the cost. This is a huge fucking move that greatly improves our playoff chances. People should be fucking pumped.

I literally texted my buddy the Cubs got Bart and seconds later his friend in the front office texted him that’s not true...I’m never seen someone come down from such a high so quickly in all my life

Lol...huge difference there

I think they also really like Sheets

This guy is correct

I guarantee Colon is Orlando part duex

@Soxnfins - See above...this is what we call a troll

Giants got him

Fake insider is what they prefer to be called

Seems like the missing piece

Using down years from Kimbrel to suggest he’s not literally a top three reliever in baseball is quite the take.

And IMO, the move almost certainly means a major payroll increase is coming and that Madrigal will be replaced in free agency.

This is true and doesn’t even include a potential return to form for Bummer.

100% agree.