Is this the offseason's most interesting trade?

Did we just see the most interesting trade of the offseason with six days to go before Opening Day?

We just might have, with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand breaking the news Friday afternoon that the Dodgers had acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the White Sox in return for outfielder AJ Pollock.

There certainly have been other blockbusters, with the Oakland Matts on the move (Chapman to Toronto, Olson to Atlanta), some Cincinnati stars heading to the AL (Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez to Seattle, Sonny Gray to Minnesota), and the Twins and Yankees pulling off a thought-provoking swap involving Josh Donaldson, Gary Sánchez and others.

But with apologies to those moves, there are several reasons why this exchange stands above. Here are the top six:

1. Challenge trades rule
The Chapman and Olson deals followed what seems to be a far more common blueprint: Team A, in rebuilding mode, sends veteran pieces to Team B, which is looking to fortify a contending roster, while getting prospects or young big leaguers in return (plus payroll relief). Those trades can be fun, and they make for interesting 20-20-hindsight analysis when those prospects hit it big -- or flame out.

But isn’t there something thrilling and refreshing about a challenge trade of two accomplished veterans? Maybe it’s the novelty. But it’s also the fact that we won’t have to wait five years or do any complicated calculations to find out who “wins” it. These are two strong contenders that expect to be playing in October, so this fall should give us a pretty clear answer about which club helped itself the most on Friday.

2. An October preview?
You know what adds some spice to a trade? Knowing that the two sides could end up settling things on the field on the game’s biggest stage. That’s hardly hyperbole -- it’s cold, hard numbers. No single World Series matchup could be considered “likely,” because baseball is far too unpredictable for that. But Dodgers-White Sox is among the most probable of any in 2022.

Over at FanGraphs, the Dodgers lead all teams in likelihood of winning a pennant (25.6% before this deal), while the White Sox ranked fourth among AL clubs (12.9%). Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA had L.A. (17.7%) and Chicago (7.7%) ranked first and fourth in the Majors, respectively, in terms of chances to win it all.

3. Everyone gets better
There obviously are risks on both sides here. (Try finding a trade where that’s not the case). But you don’t have to squint too much to see the Dodgers and White Sox benefiting simultaneously, because of the way this deal maps to the clubs’ strengths and weaknesses.

L.A. still has plenty of options to fill its outfield and DH spots, and now has more room in its lineup for longtime prospect and breakout candidate Gavin Lux, along with slugger Edwin Ríos. (It doesn’t hurt that more help is on the way from a farm system MLB Pipeline just ranked as the fifth-strongest in the game). And while the Dodgers already had a lot of good bullpen arms, Kimbrel steps into the spot vacated by Kenley Jansen, who signed with Atlanta, while providing another late-innings weapon for a team that has seen a lack of those burn it in Octobers past.

On the flip side, the White Sox still have arguably the game’s best closer in Liam Hendriks and several other excellent relievers, despite Friday’s disappointing news regarding flamethrowing lefty Garrett Crochet. Pollock has generated a 135 OPS+ and 37 homers in 172 games over the past two seasons and should take some pressure off 2021 rookies Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn, while providing more cover for Eloy Jiménez to spend some time at DH.

4. Timing is everything
Leading up to the Trade Deadline, everyone expects a flurry of deals. And during the Hot Stove season, blockbusters are hardly uncommon (especially at the Winter Meetings). But just before Opening Day? That brings a little extra pizzazz to the table.

It’s not that late March or early April trades are unheard of, considering that Kimbrel himself was involved in one just seven years ago. But when a big one hits just as you think teams have settled their rosters, it provides a nice shakeup to the finals days of the offseason.

5. Braves-Dodgers just got even more interesting
As if it wasn’t before. Every eyes emoji on Twitter has been trained on this matchup since Braves franchise cornerstone Freddie Freeman defected to the Dodgers, a move that was quickly followed by Jansen making the opposite jump. Throw in the fact that these NL foes have met in three of the past four postseasons, including two straight NLCS clashes, and you really have something worth watching.

No, Kimbrel hasn’t been a Brave in eight years, and Freeman had been the last remaining link to those teams. But Kimbrel is still the greatest reliever in Atlanta history, and his five-year tenure there featured a Rookie of the Year Award, four All-Star selections, a 1.43 ERA and four straight 40-save campaigns. Jansen clearly occupies the same stature for his old franchise. So for the fans at least, Kimbrel and Jansen being in their respective bullpens from April 18-20 at Dodger Stadium will make things extra spicy. And if they meet in October again? Look out.

6. Who is Kimbrel at this point?
That question now returns to the forefront. While the first half of Kimbrel’s career was marked by sheer dominance, the second half has been a perplexing mix of incredible highs and cover-your-eyes lows. Even last year alone, the righty was sensational for the Cubs (0.49 ERA in 39 games) and shaky for the White Sox (5.09 in 24 games). Such is life in the bullpen. But the stuff remains unhittable when Kimbrel is clicking, and the Dodgers can boast plenty of recent success with pitching projects who have far less in the way of raw materials or past success.

Kimbrel still counts as a question mark, of course. That’s part of the fun here. We’ll all get to watch and find out how he looks in Dodger Blue.