When the Dodgers entered their final week of Spring Training 2022 and still had not announced who their closer was going to be to begin the regular season, savvy Dodgers fans knew that something had to be up with Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.

Oh, sure, there was speculation that 33-year-old right-hander Blake Treinen might be that guy, but to be brutally honest, he wasn’t even on the same planet that 34-year-old/three-time All-Star right-hander Kenley Jansen was on before leaving for free agency and subsequently signing a two-year/$32 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.

That something was an under-the-radar blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox on Friday morning for 33-year-old/eight-time All-Star right-hander Craig Kimbrel, who had spent five years as the premier closer for the (wait for it…) Atlanta Braves, one with the San Diego Padres, three with the Boston Red Sox (ouch), three with the Chicago Cubs, and last season – and up until Friday morning – with the Chicago White Sox.

“I showed up to [White Sox] camp to do whatever job I was going to be asked to do,” Kimbrel told reporters after Friday’s mega-announcement. “I knew the situation I was in, and that’s been my mindset. I think coming over here, my mindset is gonna be a little different. I’m going to be able to put some shoes on that I know that fit. Hopefully, it turns into good results.”

Hopefully, indeed.

The Dodgers had kicked the tires on Kimbrel before last year’s Trade Deadline, but with Jansen still on their roster and still putting up All-Star-caliber numbers, Friedman and company stuck with their (then) 12-year closer. But when Jansen became a free agent following the 2021 season, Friedman declined to meet (or exceed) the Braves one-year/$16 million offer.

Kimbrel, a Huntsville, AL native who was drafted by the Braves in the third-round in 2008 out of Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL, is currently in the final (option) year of a one-year/$16 million contract with the White Sox. He will become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

In exchange, the White Sox received extremely popular 34-year-old Gold Glove All-Star outfielder AJ Pollock. (Come on, you knew it was going to take someone big to land the best closer in the game since Hall of Fame right-hander Trevor Hoffman, right?). Pollock will make $13 million in 2022, with a $10 million option for 2023 (with performance incentives).

As for Kimbrel’s role with the Dodgers, that is indeed a no-brainer.

“The expectation is that Craig is gonna come in and take the ninth,” said Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes. “And the group that we currently have will be moved around as we’ve done in the past.”

Is Kimbrel happy to be a Dodger?

“This isn’t a bad place to be; I can tell you that.”

Missing link found.

Play Ball!

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