There's a little bit of automatic relief built in to trading an injured player at the deadline, because no matter how little the return is providing, it won't be compounded by production given away, at least in the season at hand.
For instance, on a day when a bad couple pitches by Craig Kimbrel resulted in losing a one-run lead in the eighth inning and César Hernández went 0-for-4 with a strikeout to drop all his Sox slash categories below .300, all Nick Madrigal could do is introduce himself to the other side of town while visiting Wrigley Field for the first time (he was out with a separated shoulder for last year's series).
Madrigal's size has naturally resulted in a career built around proving doubters wrong, and while that may come to the fore eventually, his inability to contribute to what the White Sox hope will be a World Series run in 2021 takes any immediate personal edge from the deal. Instead, as it pertained to the past, he was mostly left to explain how he found out he got traded, and how he tore his hamstring:
The injury to his right hamstring that required season-ending surgery June 15 had been a lingering one, Madrigal said. He spent a few weeks still playing despite it not feeling right because Madrigal is not one to take himself out of a lineup. But in hindsight, he believes he would have been better off in the long term by taking a few days off in late May or early June.
“Big picture, I probably learned a couple things from that,” Madrigal said.
It'd be kinda fun to simulate a scenario where Madrigal stays relatively healthy and hitting .305/.349/.425 for the Sox. There would be no need for Hernández, and it's hard to imagine an equivalent centerpiece for Kimbrel unless the Sox were interested in dealing Michael Kopech, so an injury to the smallest guy on the field turned out to be a pretty huge domino.
It could come back to haunt the White Sox, but he'll have to wait a year to get started. It makes you wonder why more contenders don't trade players who are out for the year, until you give it two seconds of actual thought.
If you haven't seen Madrigal in a Cubs uniform, it doesn't look that jarring to me, I suppose because he'd barely logged half a proper season over two years with the White Sox.
New #Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal met with the media for the first time on the Northside today.
— Scott Changnon (@ScottyChags) September 11, 2021
Check out the interview he had with @BoogSciambi on @WatchMarquee here: https://t.co/lDbY9GGDEr pic.twitter.com/UntlwCmoqY
SPARE PARTS
Regarding Kimbrel, who had thrown a scoreless eighth inning the night before, James Fegan explains how Kimbrel's unusually variable fastball action can make it difficult for a new coaching staff to get a read on quick corrections.
The headline is a little unfortunate for a series in which Vaughn went 0-for-13. What's notable is that Tony La Russa chalked up Vaughn's struggles to trying to do too much in front of family and friends in Northern California.
"These last two days are the only times since the first day of spring training that he hasn't played like a veteran," White Sox manager Tony La Russa said before Thursday's game. "Because he had a bunch of friends and family here, he tried to do too much, so he did less. But before that he's just been iron-clad as far as concentration and improvement.
Two days later, La Russa used Danny Mendick against a lefty in extra innings instead of Vaughn because of "real achy legs" that rendered him unavailable on back-to-back days.
The form that Carlos Rodón showed on Friday night would be one that would work for the rest of the season, but the White Sox aren't positive that it's one that can bounce back after just four days' rest. The White Sox are considering using a six-man rotation when their schedule thickens up following Monday's off day.
Tony La Russa has only challenged a call nine times this season, but he's been successful on seven of them, which is still good enough to be in the top half of the league. Rob Arthur says it's a skill that has some stickyness to it, especially with experience. This happened to be the one area where La Russa lacked experience, which has showed at times. I'm guessing managerial challenge percentage is a little like a third base coach's success rate waving runners home. In both cases, if you're running the best percentage in the game, you're probably doing it wrong, or at least not optimally.
The Future Guardians were no-hit for the third time this season courtesy of Milwaukee's Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader, and that doesn't count a hitless seven-inning affair against Tampa in July. In a strange twist, Zach Plesac has been on the mound for each of them, which makes every pitcher dogged by a lack of run support feel the slightest bit fortunate.
It's still yet to be determined whether Bauer will face prosecution for the sexual assault allegations against him, but the league has effectively run out the clock on the 2021 season while waiting to see whether the justice system takes on his case.
In related but separate news, more than two years after he was arrested on allegations of domestic abuse, Jonah Keri pleaded guilty and admitted to repeatedly threatening and assaulting his ex-wife. The details paint a picture of a monster.
It's another unfortunate headline, as it comes right after Sale got scratched for his start today because he contracted COVID-19 for a second time. But either way, it's a little weird to think as Sale being the guy to set a tone for the clubhouse, because it wasn't a great idea when he ascended into that position for the White Sox. That's the difference that winning seasons make. The White Sox can lock in their first full, standard winning season of the Rick Hahn era whenever they log their next victory.
(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
