Cesar Hernandez, 2B
Hernandez by no means is a sexy acquisition and some might feel underwhelmed by this trade, but it's actually a pretty good one. It would've been nicer to have had Eduardo Escobar, but Hernandez is already a massive upgrade at the position that Danny Mendick and Leury Garcia had tried to hold down after Nick Madrigal's injury. Hernandez provides gold glove defense, but his bat will help a lot too as he already has 18 home runs this season and .307 on base percentage and a .431 slugging percentage. His wRC+ is 100 and wOBA is .319 which isn't eye popping, but certainly an improvement over what Mendick and Garcia provided. However, Hernandez' wRC+ jumped dramatically in July as it was 139 and only looks to get better joining a more potent lineup. In a better lineup, he'll have a better opportunity to not only get on base, but to see better pitches to hit, plus he moves into a more hitter friendly environment at Guaranteed Rate Field. Hernandez also came at a low price as the Sox gave up left handed starting pitching prospect Konnor Pilkington. It would be very hard for the team to lose this trade let alone have this be a costly one in general.
Ryan Tepera, Reliever
It was clear that the White Sox needed another reliever and they got a very good one in Ryan Tepera. Tepera is also not a sexy name, but it's another great acquisition. This could be the move that helps other relievers in the bullpen like Aaron Bummer or Garrett Crochet as they could be used better and succeed or be used in situations they are more comfortable in. It will also help lighten the workload for Liam Hendriks as he won't necessarily have to be needed for six out saves. So, what does Tepera's numbers look like? Quite good actually. He has a 2.91 ERA, 2.79 FIP, .196 BABIP, 46.9 ground ball percentage, and a 0.78 WHIP. That should help stabilize the bullpen and give manager Tony La Russa another option to go to which thus should make others better.
Craig Kimbrel, Reliever
There was expectations that the Sox needed to trade for another reliever or two and they got one and a very good pitcher too as they brought in Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel used to be an elite closer, but had a couple of rough seasons and now has his electric stuff back. The numbers back that up to as he has a 0.49 ERA, 1.08 FIP, .203 BABIP, 46.7 strikeout percentage, and a 0.71 WHIP. Like mentioned earlier about Tepera, it now gives the team another option out of the bullpen and it makes them look like the best in baseball and the reasons listed as to why it's great move. This was a big splash and it shows how serious the Pale Hose are about winning a World Series this season.
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