Craig Kimbrel may not leave Chicago White Sox after all

Craig Kimbrel was as good as gone. The Chicago White Sox had stated their intention of trading him during the offseason, picking up his option to make a deal happen. A trade seemed even more likely when they signed Kendall Graveman as he appeared to be their new option for the eighth inning.

That may no longer be the case. White Sox manager Tony La Russa indicated that he expects Kimbrel to be a part of the bullpen come Opening Day.

Chicago White Sox likely to keep Craig Kimbrel

Kimbrel was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle for the White Sox last year. He and Liam Hendriks were a formidable 1-2 punch in the eighth and ninth inning on paper, two closers that would slam the door on opponents. That did not prove to be the case as he struggled in a setup role, posting a 5.09 ERA and a 1.217 WHiP in his 23 innings with the White Sox.

The White Sox bullpen should be even better now. Joe Kelly signed on Saturday, adding another veteran arm to their relief corps. The bullpen, even without Kimbrel, has five arms with plenty of experience working in those later innings. Their depth has to be the envy of every other team in the majors.

But Kimbrel remains a question mark. He should be a part of the answer, making their bullpen six deep. However, those struggles, as well as his struggles during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, make the possible future Hall of Famer a wild card at this point.

Those struggles also explain why the White Sox may not trade Kimbrel. They would not come close to receiving the type of package they gave up to bring him in should he be put on the block now. Instead, their best option is to hold on to Kimbrel and hope that he can recapture the form that he showed at the start of the 2021 season. If that happens, the White Sox will truly have a formidable bullpen.

Tony La Russa expects Craig Kimbrel to be part of the Chicago White Sox bullpen on Opening Day. There really is no other option at this point.