Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated PressAccording to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Chicago Cubs traded closer Craig Kimbrel for the Chicago White Sox.USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the Cubs will be receiving Codi Heuer and second baseman Nick Madrigal in return for Kimbrel.This will be the second trading session between cross-town rivals, with the White Sox also buying Ryan Tepera in trade on Thursday.Kimbrel's ERA is 0.49 with a 0.709 WHIP, 23 saves and a ERA of 0.49 through 39 innings. Kimbrel has struck out 64 batters and issued 13 walks.Chicago won a bidding war in the middle of the season to sign Kimbrel free during the 2019 season. The deal, which was a $33 million, three-year deal, signed the 2018 World Series winner to a $43 million contract. It started out rocky. In August, the reliever was injured with knee inflammation. He was then placed on the injured reserve for two weeks. The Cubs lost the playoffs with a 0-4 record and a 6.53 ERA. 13 saves were made in 20.2 innings.Kimbrel was not much better in the 2020 season due to the pandemic, which saw him suffer a 5.28 ERA, 2 saves and 15.1 IP. However, the Cubs lost their National League Wild Card series to Miami Marlins.Chicago began to fall in the rankings as the 33-year old started to get back into All-Star form in 2021. As blowouts became more common, Chicago found fewer uses for its closer. This made the veteran star of the late innings a prime trade target.He now heads to the White Sox to try again to win the World Series and pitch in the postseason. Kimbrel's time on the north side Chicago has been filled with more ups than downs. However, the closer has proven that he is still a reliable reliever.The White Sox were able to convince the Cubs to let go of the eight-time All-Star.The AL Central team could be particularly dangerous with Liam Hendriks in the bullpen.
