La Russa would love to be 'stuck' with Kimbrel in talented bullpen

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- White Sox manager Tony La Russa was asked on Saturday if he expected reliever Craig Kimbrel to be on the team’s Opening Day roster and answered in the only way he could.

“Yes,” said La Russa, who spoke to the media for 40 minutes via Zoom and in person at Camelback Ranch, as the first day of official Spring Training approaches on Sunday.

For starters, Kimbrel currently sits on the White Sox roster, and even if general manager Rick Hahn was endeavoring to trade the right-hander, La Russa probably wouldn’t state that publicly. Kimbrel also not only would make great sense as part of the club's bullpen, but he could help shape it into a truly dominant force if the veteran pitched close to the Hall of Fame caliber he has shown throughout most of his 12-year career.

That plan was in Hahn’s mind last season when he shipped starting second baseman Nick Madrigal, who was out for the season after surgery to repair a right hamstring tear, and reliever Codi Heuer to the Cubs in exchange for the most dominant first-half National League closer at the Trade Deadline. That plan did not work as planned for Hahn or the White Sox, as Kimbrel finished with a 5.09 ERA and one save in 24 games on the South Side, following a 0.49 ERA and 23 saves posted in 39 games for the Cubs.

Liam Hendriks, who was the 2021 American League Reliever of the Year with 38 saves and 113 strikeouts against seven walks in 71 innings, returns as White Sox closer. But Kimbrel might be better suited in ’22 to handle an overall late-inning role as opposed to just the ninth after last year’s tough transition.

“You are coming into a new team, new personality, not sure how it’s going to go,” Hendriks said. “Now, he knows us all out there and him coming out here hopefully will solidify everything going forward, and we can make this a pretty decent bullpen out there.”

“If he’s here, the fact that he had the experience last year making that transition, he's had to deal with how different that is,” La Russa said of Kimbrel. “All I know is, when we got him, he was as good as any closer in baseball.”

La Russa said he would be as “happy as I can be” if the White Sox were “stuck” with Kimbrel. Of course, he flashed a broad smile and laughed after saying the word “stuck,” because a team is hardly stuck featuring a player with Kimbrel’s immense ability. Kimbrel would pitch as he did last year for the White Sox, meaning anywhere late in high-leverage situations, and if the White Sox were winning consistently, he could close when the team wanted to protect Hendriks or give him a break.

No script would exist where Kimbrel would be the closer for Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Hendriks the remaining days of the week, as “that’s just not the way games are played,” per La Russa. Some people believe Kimbrel couldn’t pitch anything but the ninth after amassing 372 career saves, making him the active leader by 22 over Kenley Jansen. It might simply be a case of Kimbrel knowing that role and preferring to pitch the ninth.

Staying with the White Sox, who exercised Kimbrel’s $16 million option for 2022, would not afford him that opportunity. On the flip side, a return to form for Kimbrel joins Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, free-agent addition Kendall Graveman and Garrett Crochet as part of an airtight-looking bullpen for the reigning AL Central champs and World Series contenders. According to sources, the club and veteran right-hander Joe Kelly agreed to a two-year deal on Saturday.

“I was really encouraged that when [executive vice president] Kenny [Williams] and Rick first talked to Craig and his agent, he really likes it here,” La Russa said. “But he really likes closing. And I like the first part of it a lot because I had him in Boston. He’s a first-class person, family guy.

“He fit in very well with our team. He’s got a chance to be a Hall of Fame closer, right. Rock and a hard place. But I know him, though. Whatever role he has, he’s too competitive, going to give it his best. If he’s here, another dynamite arm. We’ll see.

“These are men, not machines,” La Russa added. “That’s a very difficult adjustment. But he’s a great guy and he’s a competitor, and he’ll make the adjustment.”