Look at Ray Ray Run

This is exactly how I feel. Great teams don't spend a high percentage of their payroll on relievers. It's unreliable and inefficient. Starting this year, EVERYONE thought the White Sox had a dominant bullpen and it was the strength of their team. 4 months later everyone was desperate to add bullpen pieces. Looks like the Sox didn't learn their lesson.

I don't love the deal, but it just can't be argued how great it is for this year. And I think the Sox need to capitalize on any season they make the playoffs given how not often it happens. The Sox pitching staff is ready to roll now and they fixed their biggest issue (the bullpen). It's dominant and it's exciting and they're going to be amazing to watch. The process itself just feels really poor, but gotta trust their internal evaluations. I would have been much more pissed if it were Crochet, given that the difference between Crochet and Kimbrel the rest of this season is like 3-4 runs.

I'll take Hendriks all day everyday as well. People love focusing on like 30-40 inning samples for relievers and deciding that's who is better. It's absurd. Last year Codi Heuer was unhittable for a 35 inning stretch, this year no one trusts him. Hendriks has been way more consistent and the walks are still scary for Kimbrel.

Can't emphasize it enough, it's great for this year. Trading Heuer at the bottom point of his value and maybe Madrigal with value down due to injury could suck too.

I don't really care what 28 year old Kimbrel did. He's 33 going on 34. Guys who age typically don't permanently return to their peak years.

My beef is investing in RP's. It's just a terrible strategy. If I'm trading my assets, I'm trading for a Position player. Why not do Crochet, Madrigal and Burger for a Buxton? I'd like to shove like that.

oh, only 1/2 half of a season matters for relievers? You could have had Kimbrel, this past off-season, for a bag of balls.

And the two years prior he was worth -1 fWAR. Relievers are volatile as all hell. Which is why giving up big time assets for them instead of just paying them/developing them internally is overly risky.

The difference between Iglesias and Kimbrel was not at all "massive." Over the past three year sample, Iglesias has been better than Kimbrel. Has Kimbrel been lights out this year? Yes, does that mean he will be next year? No.

Yeah, now instead of having to fill just one hole in RF this off-season while adding big money at RP, they have the big money at RP, and have to fill two holes. And for everyone saying this is how you win the post-season; those dominant bullpens in KC and etc weren't taking up 25% of the teams payroll. Makes this year more exciting, but I also can't get over how absolutely terrible Kimbrel was the past two years. The volatility of RP's make investing heavily in them so damn stupid.

Yup, I'm excited as shit for this year and this makes them better and it's great. I just hate giving up a young position player for a damn reliever. Relievers are whatever. Even Kimbrel was complete trash the previous two years. Just a lot of risk with relievers, and their impact is on so few innings. The Sox could have just SPENT money on a big time reliever too, they didn't have to trade assets which makes it even more maddening. Love it for this year though. Fearful we'll regret it next year and beyond though. Who cares if we cash in this year, but if we don't this could suck. I really thought Madrigal complimented this roster and lineup perfectly.

yeah, this is a concern and the reason I don't hate this nearly as much as the Crochet leak.

Funny that the Chapman trade is often looked at as the beginning of the end of the Cubs ability to dominate - as overpaying for 2 months of a closer was looked upon poorly - and here the Sox are a few years later paying a ton for 2 months (+1 year) of a set up guy. It's a shame that none of the reliever prospects panned out because this sucks to pay that much in assets to acquire a bullpen guy.

Man, Heuer is whatever but 6 years of Madrigal for a RP. That's better than Crochet and the ceiling isn't as high but wow.

oh, so everything they've done and said in my entire life time doesn't count? got it.

It makes the team better this year, which is great. I want them to go for it, I just absolutely hate the process.

This is exactly how I feel. A penny pinching organization trading 6 years of a pitcher for a set up man making 16 million. I quit.

If true, I don't get it at all.

But why pay the 1 1/2 year price for a guy you're going to have for 2 months?

I would have significant doubt that the Sox would trade Kimbrel in the off-season, and why would you pay the 1 1/2 year price that is heightened by the deadline demands only to turn around and trade him in the off-season and very likely get much less in return? I get what you're saying, but this team needs to spend it's resources better given the past few off-seasons and what they've shown.

It's showing as vested already, but who knows if that's accurate. edit: i was wrong, it defaults to 2021 games with the 2020 issue.

Exactly, and we'd be paying that closer price for a guy that isn't even going to fill that role for us. The money just doesn't make sense for this organization.

I believe Kimbrel has already triggered the 16 million guaranteed next year.

What rant? You mean when I had an opinion on the trade for Hernandez? Kimbrel is an eighth inning reliever for this team. The Sox don't need to be spending 30 million a year on two relievers. You show me where the Sox have ever proven they're willing to spend enough as an organization that spending 30 million on two relievers doesn't hamper them in other areas and I'll be open to it. Additionally I never once complained about Tepera, but good try. If the Sox want to play in the big boy pool, maybe go spend money or assets on players who will impact more than 20 innings the rest of the season.

Yup, and if the Cubs are going to eat all the salary they'll want good talent coming back (like the Rizzo deal). Kimbrel just isn't a fit given the role he'd have on this team imo. He's an addition a team that has shown a willingness to spend makes as a luxury, not a team that is pinching pennies every off-season. Would love if we changed how we operate, but I've been fooled way too many times than to trust this organization with spending money and I don't need to hear that we can't fill holes because we gave 16 million to a set up man.