David Schoenfield hands out grades as the Chicago White Sox acquire RHP Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago Cubs for 2B Nick Madrigal and RHP Codi Heuer.
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Chicago White Sox: A-
The Max Scherzer/Trea Turner deal was stunning in its scope -- the Dodgers acquiring two of the best players in the game -- but this one may qualify as the most shocking of the deadline. You have the crosstown rivals making a rare trade, their second in less than 24 hours after reliever Ryan Tepera went from the Cubs to the White Sox. You have Kimbrel going to a team that already has one of the best closers in the game in Liam Hendriks. And you have the White Sox giving up a foundation-type player in Madrigal.
Kimbrel was the top reliever on the market, really the best in the game this season -- him or Josh Hader. After two seasons with the Cubs in which he lost his release point, lost his command and served up too many meaty fastballs that opponents pounded (0-5, 6.00 ERA in 2019-20), Kimbrel found himself this season and arguably put himself back on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He's held batters to a ridiculous .106 average and hasn't allowed an earned run since May 15. His knuckle-curve is back in full wipeout mode, as batters are hitting .061 against it without an extra-base hit.
Hendriks leads the AL with 25 saves and has a 2.58 ERA while striking out 14.1 batters per nine innings, but he has served up eight home runs in 45⅓ innings, so Kimbrel presumably takes over as closer with Hendriks moving into the setup role. The White Sox rank 13th in the majors with a 4.05 bullpen ERA, but suddenly they have a really good threesome to back up what has been one of the best rotations in the majors:
Tepera: 2.91 ERA, .150 BA, 10.4 SO/9
Hendriks: 2.58 ERA, .169 BA, 14.2 SO/9
Kimbrel: 0.49 ERA, .106 BA, 15.7 SO/9
That trio has a chance to be a dominant late-game presence, similar to the 2014-15 Royals. The only flaw is Hendriks' home run rate, but the White Sox just improved their chances of winning the World Series in a big way. If they don't win, however, they may regret seeing Madrigal hit .300 every season at Wrigley.
Chicago Cubs: A
Acquiring Kimbrel cost the White Sox, however, as Madrigal was hitting .305/.349/.425 before going down with a season-ending torn hamstring. Madrigal has his flaws -- he has little power, with just two home runs in 303 career major league at-bats, and doesn't walk much -- but his contact skills are so great that it's easy to continue projecting him as a consistent .300 hitter with solid on-base percentages. The defense was a little less than advertised this season, but he should still be at least an average second baseman moving forward. Most importantly, he's under team control through 2026.
Basically, his floor is as an average 2-WAR player through the next five seasons, and maybe even higher, given he was worth 1.3 WAR in 54 games this season. If he adds even a little pop -- it can be doubles, not home runs -- and improves his defense, he could be a consistent 4-WAR player. That is an incredibly valuable return for a reliever and comes with a degree of certainty. This is a great deal for the Cubs, and even Heuer has potential as a hard-throwing reliever (he was great last season, less great this season with a 5.12 ERA).
With the Cubs moving on from Javier Baez, they now have their infield of the future with Nico Hoerner at shortstop and Madrigal at second base. It's an interesting strategy, two high-contact, low-power hitters, obviously a move in a different direction from the way baseball is going. But if they get on base and play good defense, that's a nice up-the-middle combination.