New Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Craig Kimbrel is excited to start a new chapter in California.
The Dodgers sent outfielder AJ Pollock to the Chicago White Sox to get Kimbrel, who is now expected to be the closer in Los Angeles after setting up for Liam Hendriks on the south side.
Kimbrel is ninth on the all-time saves leaderboard in MLB, with 372, and the eighth-placed Dennis Eckersley (390) is within reach this year if he is named the closer.
The Dodgers like the idea of having a nominal closer, which was Kenley Jansen‘s old role before he left to the Atlanta Braves via free agency.
So while manager Dave Roberts can always surprise us, he should end up giving the ninth inning to Kimbrel, which is where he excels the most.
Kimbrel Spoke To The Media After Being Traded
Kimbrel talked to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya about the transaction.
“Craig Kimbrel said after there was no deal this offseason, he was expecting to start the season with the White Sox. Deal came together quickly. Said he’s looking forward to closing games again, though he said he wasn’t angry with the Sox using him in the eighth inning last year,” Ardaya tweeted.
Craig Kimbrel said after there was no deal this offseason, he was expecting to start the season with the White Sox. Deal came together quickly. Said he’s looking forward to closing games again, though he said he wasn’t angry with the Sox using him in the eighth inning last year.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) April 1, 2022
Lots of people thought he was disgruntled with the White Sox last year for using him in a setup role, but he confirms that is not the case.
As the closer with the Chicago Cubs before the deadline, Kimbrel had a microscopic 0.49 ERA in 36.2 frames.
After being traded, though, the number ballooned up to 5.09 in 23 innings.
Now that Los Angeles should use him as a traditional closer again, he can return to pitching in the role in which he has been so successful throughout his career.
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