Less than a week before Opening Day, the Chicago White Sox have agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to put the finishing touches on their rosters.
The White Sox are trading future Hall of Famer Craig Kimbrel to the Dodgers in exchange for veteran outfielder AJ Pollock. The move addresses two obvious needs for both World Series contenders.
The White Sox had a glaring hole in right field while the Dodgers needed a closer to replace the departed Kenley Jansen.
Chicago has made it known that they have been trying to move Kimbrel all offseason. They brought him in before last year's trade deadline with the hopes of solidifying their bullpen. Kimbrel who has logged 372 saves in his career owned a 0.49 ERA at the time. Things unraveled when he got to Chicago. The eight-time All-Star was only able to convert one of four save opportunities and never looked comfortable in his new role as a setup man. His ERA imploded 5.09 during his time on the Southside. A change of scenery was needed. The White Sox picked up his $16 million option with the hopes of getting something back in return. After a long waiting game they finally found a good haul for the decorated reliever. Kimbrel goes from an American League World Series contender to a National League World Series contender and regained his role in the ninth inning. Meanwhile, the White Sox are getting a former All-Star, Gold Glove Award Winner, and World Series champion, in AJ Pollock. Polluck is a 10-year veteran who has seen action in 34 postseason games. His experience playing on championship-caliber Dodger teams should be valuable to a White Sox clubhouse looking to get over the hump. While Pollock is on the back nine of his career he owns a very solid track record. He is a career .281 hitter with 126 home runs and 414 RBIs to his name. He is still producing at a high level offensively. Last season Pollock slashed .287/.355/.539 and a .892 OPS. He also matched his career-high with 21 home runs. In 2020 he ranked 10th in the National League with 111 total bases. Pollock is a solid defender. He had a perfect fielding percentage last season. The majority of his career has been spent in center field, 824 games to be exact. However, he is capable of playing the corner outfield spots. He has appeared in 164 games in left field. right field is a bit more foreign to Pollock. He has played just six games there and only one of them he started. However, Pollock will not unseat Luis Robert in center field so the White Sox will be getting a guy with plenty of range to play right field. His best season came back in 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks when he batted .315 with 20 home runs. That year he took home a Gold Glove Award for his work in center field and appeared in his only All-Star game to date. The trade is a straight one for one. The White Sox will be saving $6 million when it is all said and done. They get Kimbrel's $16 million club option off the books and take on just $10 million in Pollock's salary.
