The Chicago White Sox have agreed to acquire the All-Star closer Craig kimbrel of the Chicago Cubs before the trade deadline, the team announced Friday.
In exchange, the Cubs will receive the second baseman. Nick madrigal and the right pitcher Codi heuer.
The White Sox, who lead the AL Central, were looking for bullpen help, and now they have it with Kimbrel and Liam hendriks.
The 33-year-old Kimbrel has 23 saves this season for the Cubs with a 0.49 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 36⅔ innings. In total, he has 371 career saves with the Cubs, Red Sox, Padres and Braves in his 12 major league seasons.
“We saw Craig as the top available relief pitcher on this trade deadline, so we knew the cost would be high in terms of saying goodbye to young talent,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said at a statement. “But we recognize the special opportunity that exists today and our team, our clubhouse and our fans deserve to know that we will do everything we can to make it to the postseason and win meaningful games in October.”
Madrigal tore his right hamstring in early June and is out for the rest of the season. He’s targeted to be the Cubs’ starting second baseman next season. He was hitting .305 when he got injured. Madrigal also won a minor league Golden Glove in 2019.
Heuer, a 25-year-old right-hander, is 4-1 this season for the White Sox coming out of the bullpen. He has appeared in 40 games. Last season, his first in the majors, he was 3-0 with a save and 1.52 ERA in 21 appearances.
The White Sox entered Friday with an eight-game lead over division rival Cleveland. The Cubs are fourth in the NL Central and are entering a rebuild.
The White Sox had already addressed the loss of Madrigal by acquiring second baseman Cesar Hernandez from the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.
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