Chicago White Sox make a Craig Kimbrel trade all but imminent with new signing

The Chicago White Sox are closing in on signing free agent reliever Kendall Graveman, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The deal is reportedly for three years and roughly $24 million, per Heyman.

The signing of Graveman all but makes a trade involving White Sox reliever Craig Kimbrel imminent this offseason.

The Chicago White Sox will trade Craig Kimbrel after signing Kendall Graveman

It has been reported that the Chicago White Sox planned on trading Craig Kimbrel already this winter. Kimbrel, 33, had a phenomenal bounceback first half with the Chicago Cubs after struggling mightily in the previous two seasons. In 2019 and 2020, Kimbrel had an ERA of 6.00 in 41 games. He was also injured a few times.

With the Cubs in 2021, he had an ERA of 0.49 in 39 games (23 saves) before he was traded across town to the White Sox. The White Sox, unlike the Cubs, used him as a setup man and he struggled, pitching to a 5.09 ERA in 24 games and he was awful in the postseason, allowing three runs (two earned) in two innings.

The White Sox exercised their option for $16 million, but they were likely to trade him before signing Graveman. Now, however, Graveman will essentially replace Kimbrel.

Graveman, who turns 31 next month, was injured in 2019 and was not great in 2020 (5.79 ERA). However, he was one of the best relievers in baseball to start the 2021 season. For Seattle, like Kimbrel, he had a sub-1.00 ERA (0.82, to be exact) before getting traded (for Graveman, to Houston). For Houston, Graveman was not as good as he was in Seattle, but he was still very good, logging an ERA of 3.13 in 24 games.

He was even better in the postseason for Houston (1.64 ERA in nine games).

Graveman will cost half of the price of Kimbrel and, at least in a setup role, was more effective than Kimbrel. If the White Sox do trade Kimbrel, they can reallocate that money to addressing other issues this offseason or save to extend one of their other, younger players.