Fool's Gold: White Sox Fans Rejoice As Craig Kimbrel Traded To Dodgers

CHICAGO — Craig Kimbrel is no longer a member of the White Sox and that’s not an April Fool’s joke, especially to fans of, well ....the White Sox.

When word broke that the Sox had traded the eight-time All-Star closer to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder AJ Pollock Friday, the social media glee among Sox fans was about as hard to miss as the strike zone Kimbrel struggled to find with great regularity after making the short move from Chicago’s North Side in the middle of last season.

Kimbrel was never a good fit with the Sox. He was never comfortable with his new role as a set-up man rather than the closing role he had dominated with the Red Sox and later, to a smaller extent, with the Cubs. He was regularly flummoxed in eighth-inning situations and quickly fizzled, despite the big hopes has had Kimbrel when they traded Nick Madrigal for him just before the All-Star break.

Rather than being a big piece to a championship puzzle, Kimbrel floundered with a 2-2 record and a 5.06 ERA with 13 earned runs in 24 appearances with the Sox. Kimbrel, who fancied himself “Dirty Craig” was the target of plenty of dirty words from Sox fans, who quickly tired of waiting for Kimbrel to find himself and his triple-digit fastball and eventually pleaded for general manager Rick Hahn to put South Siders out of their misery.

Instead, Hahn chose to pick up Kimbrel's option, further frustrating fans who still couldn't see what value Kimbrel brought. They hoped Hahn would use the reliever as a trade piece in the off-season — a process that finally ended on Friday.

Hahn got the Dodgers to pick up the $16 million option the Sox would have been responsible for after they optioned to keep Kimbrel on their roster. In exchange, the Sox landed an outfielder coming a season when he hit a career-best 21 home runs and drove in a career-high 69 runs and hit .297 in 117 games. More importantly, they pick up a player with playoff and World Series championship experience that adds depth to the Sox outfield.

The move was clearly a win-win for both sides, as the Dodgers get a closer who will undoubtedly find comfort returning to his preferred bullpen role. The Sox, meanwhile, get a solid right fielder who was needed after Andrew Vaughn went down to a hip pointer last week.

On Friday, Hahn told reporters in Arizona that he was “sad to see Craig go” – a sentiment that likely wasn’t expressed by many Sox fans. Hahn said that the move allows Kimbrel to return to a role he has excelled in for the “vast majority” of his career — the second half of the season notwithstanding.

Hahn said that in Pollock, the Sox get a “fantastic” hitter who primarily has hit from the left side of the plate for the majority of his career. By adding the 34-year-old just in time for the start of the regular season next week, the Sox add an offensive piece that Hahn says makes the Sox lineup “tougher” against both right- and left-handed hitters.”

The Sox will again be seen as major contenders in the American League Central, but after two straight early exits from the playoffs, the hope among fans is that Tony La Russa’s team can make it farther than the opening postseason series.

But if they don’t, Craig Kimbrel won’t be around to take the blame, as he finds himself on a team that continues to be among the National League's best teams and far away from a fan base that wanted him gone from the South Side almost as soon as he arrived.

Win-win.