Would these New York Mets-Chicago White Sox trades work?
The New York Mets are one of a few teams that seem poised to make a trade once the lockout ends. They seem most likely to trade second baseman Jeff McNeil after a down 2021 season and a run-in with Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. One team that needs a second baseman that’s in playoff contention is the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox are also a team that looks poised to unload closer Craig Kimbrel when the lockout ends too. So are the Mets and White Sox a trade fit to trade McNeil and Kimbrel for each other?
The New York Mets and Chicago White Sox are definitely a trade match for Jeff McNeil and Craig Kimbrel.
On Saturday, our colleague Vinnie Parise of Southside Showdown examined three possible trade ideas for the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox involving Jeff McNeil and Craig Kimbrel. In each of the proposed trades, Kimbrel heads to New York in exchange for McNeil and a different prospect, making them all 2-for-1 swaps.
The White Sox have an obvious need at second base, as Leury García is at the top of their depth chart at second base. García has spent parts of nine seasons in the majors and he has only played in 100 or more games in a season twice and he only has one season with an OPS+ of league average (100) or better. That season was in 2020 and he only played 16 games in the pandemic-shortened season.
Given his versatility, he is much better as a bench option for the White Sox.
The Mets, on the other hand, are in desperate need of some bullpen help. They have Edwin Díaz as their closer but the Mets could use either him or Kimbrel in a setup role and the other as their closer. For what it’s worth, Kimbrel has been much better in a closer role, especially in 2021 as he was one of the best closers in baseball for the Cubs in the first half of the season and a very inconsistent setup man for the White Sox in 2021.
The only issues with a trade are that Kimbrel is more valuable than McNeil. McNeil has more control as, depending on the CBA, he will either have two or three years remaining until free agency whereas Kimbrel is a free agent after the 2022 season.
Next. Would this Mets-Brewers trade work for Josh Hader work?. dark
Nonetheless, the Mets would still likely have to include someone else in a deal to get Kimbrel. It’s definitely a deal that the two sides should consider when the lockout ends as it could be a mutually beneficial deal to help both teams get to the playoffs in 2022.