Three-team deals are few and far between. They’re fascinating little wrinkles in sport, a balancing act between three organizations pulling levers necessary to get something across the finish line. On Monday, the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals agreed a ménage à trois involving big leaguers and prospects galore.
For St. Louis
The Cardinals are hoping to bolster their rotation for a stretch-run with righty Erick Fedde coming over from the White Sox. Following a brief stint in the Korean Baseball Organization, Fedde is enjoying a breakthrough campaign with 121.2 innings under his belt pitching to a 3.11 ERA. Fedde has cut his walk-rate down to 2.5/9, easily the best mark of his career. The peripherals and expected statistics like Fedde quite a bit and would suggest what he’s accomplished to this point is sustainable.
Fedde is controlled through the 2025 season and is owed roughly $10 million over the next 14 months.
Outfielder Tommy Pham will head to the Cardinals in the deal as well. Pham has been a productive piece in the outfield for the White Sox this season running a .266/.330/.380 slash. He’s added five homers and boasts walk and strikeout rates both better than league average. Pham can play all three outfield positions and will do a nice job putting the game in motion on the offensive side of the ball.
For Los Angeles
The Dodgers have struggled all season trying to identify who will take the reins at the shortstop position. Those concerns may become a bit more muted as infielder Tommy Edman goes to Los Angeles.
Edman has not played a game at the major league level this season while recovering from wrist surgery and soreness in his ankle. He’s expected to be activated soon, though he’s just now beginning to get reps in the field on a rehab assignment at Double-A. Reports are Dodgers’ scouts were in to see him last week and obviously felt comfortable with where his progress was.
Edman can play shortstop, second base and centerfield once healthy and does have a gold glove to his name.
The Dodgers are also acquiring hard-throwing righty reliever Michael Kopech in the deal. Kopech has always flashed high-leverage upside with a big fastball and streaky slider production. This season he’s appeared in 43 games with 43.2 innings under his belt. He’s punched out 59 batters whilst running a 4.74 ERA. Walks and untimely base hits have marred what has at times been shutdown stuff.
For Chicago
The White Sox are reportedly getting a quartet of players from the Dodgers headlined by 2B/OF Miguel Vargas. Chicago is reportedly also getting third baseman Alexander Albertus and second baseman Jeral Perez in the deal.
The White Sox continue to chase prospect hauls this deadline season as their rebuild carries on. Vargas, 24, has been a rather large piece of the puzzle for the Dodgers this season having appeared in 30 games. He’s currently slashing .239/.313/.423 with three homers having played all of his innings in the outfield. Vargas has legitimate upside with average bat speed and a rather polished approach at the plate. He’s got an optimized swing as evidenced by a ground ball rate near 30 percent.
Vargas has become far more pull-side oriented this season and it’s actually sapped some of his on-base tool. One could make the argument Vargas’ launch angles are a bit too steep considering his relative lack of raw power, but playing in Chicago with a shorter left field porch could result in better outcomes for the former Cuban international signee.
Considering his above average arm strength and above average speed, Vargas could profile in left field or centerfield going forward and may even get reps on the infield once again on the Southside.
Perez headlines the prospects going back to Chicago. He was set to rank as the no. 15 prospect in the Dodgers system in our midseason rankings. Fresh off an appearance in the Futures Game in Texas, Perez was running a .264/.380/.420 slash at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. He’s added ten homers at 15 doubles. Perez lacks prototypical size and as a right-handed hitter is generally considered to lack impact ceiling. There’s is some raw power and bat speed here.
Perez also showcases strong lateral mobility at this early stage in his career allowing him to grab reps at second base on occasion. He gets the most out of his tools and projects a potential role 45 third baseman or utility bat at the big league level.
Albertus is the lottery ticket in the group, a 19-year-old infield prospect enjoying a monster year across two levels. While it hasn’t been quite as gaudy a go of things at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in 19 games, Albertus played 32 games in the ACL prior running a .342/.479/.460 slash with 27 walks and 20 strikeouts across 143 plate appearances. He’s flashed solid average raw power projection and above average arm strength that should stay at the hot corner.
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