The Chicago White Sox traded pitcher Craig Kimbrel to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, and that elicited quite the response from around the league.
Perhaps no reaction was as interesting as those from the Los Angeles Angles. Rather than cheering Kimbrel’s move from the AL to the NL, they commiserated over the Dodgers’ absurdly deep bullpen.
Currently in the Angels clubhouse where this trade has inspired nothing short of shock. Guys listed off names in the Dodgers bullpen, bemoaning the collective nastiness of their stuff. “Well, I quit,” one former All-Star declared. https://t.co/bq60UTdQzH
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) April 1, 2022
The Dodgers and Angels will play a three-game series to end spring training but won’t meet again until a two-game set in mid-June. They’ll square off in another two-game series in mid-July and that’ll be it unless they end up in the World Series.
So while Kimbrel does add another dynamic and dominant element to the Dodgers’ bullpen, it’s actually in the Angels’ best interest that he exits the American League. Surely they’d rather see him just four times per season as opposed to seven, which is how many times the Angels and White Sox will meet in 2022.
Photo: Aug 23, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) reacts as he leaves the field after giving up the winning run against the Toronto Blue Jays on a wild pitch in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
