Sox land Vargas, prospects in 3-team deal for Kopech, Fedde and Pham

CHICAGO -- Talent acquisition is the White Sox focus, at this point, according to general manager Chris Getz.

And a three-team trade with the Cardinals and Dodgers on Monday, coming one day before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline and prior to an 8-5 loss to the Royals -- securing a new single-season franchise record 15th straight loss for the White Sox (27-82) -- was the latest way for the South Siders to achieve said goal.

The White Sox acquired infielder Miguel Vargas, Minor League infielders Alexander Albertus, Jeral Perez and a player to be named later or cash considerations from the Dodgers. White Sox right-handed starter Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham moved to the Cardinals with cash considerations and closer Michael Kopech went to the Dodgers to close out the White Sox portion of the deal.

TRADE DETAILS
White Sox receive: INF/OF Miguel Vargas, INF prospect Jeral Perez (LAD No. 17 prospect), INF prospect Alexander Albertus (LAD No. 23 prospect), player to be named later or cash (from Dodgers)
Cardinals receive: RHP Erick Fedde, OF Tommy Pham and cash (from White Sox), player to be named later or cash (from Dodgers)
Dodgers receive: RHP Michael Kopech (from White Sox), INF/OF Tommy Edman and RHP prospect Oliver Gonzalez (from Cardinals)

Vargas, 24, will be added to the White Sox 26-player roster after slashing .239/.313/.423 with four doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs, 11 runs scored and eight walks in 30 games with the Dodgers this season. He has also appeared in 41 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, slashing .290/.440/.566 with 14 doubles, eight homers, 38 RBIs, 38 walks and a 1.006 OPS.

“He has played second, he's played third, he's played left. He can play both corners in the outfield,” said manager Pedro Grifol of Vargas. “We'll talk about that. I'll sit down with Chris and we'll see where we want to plug him in or if we want to move him around, just to see where he fits best. I know his bat fits."

Getz added: “I'd say fans are probably more familiar with him because he's been in the big leagues. He's one of the younger, brighter bats in our game. And the way he puts together at-bats, his zone awareness, his contact ability, his power potential -- we're a team that ranks at the bottom offensively. And so our focus was to find bats through our acquisition process here at the Trade Deadline and we'll continue.”

Perez, 19, was an All-Star Futures Game participant and is now the White Sox No. 13 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He will be assigned to Single-A Kannapolis. Albertus, 19, is ranked No. 14, but has been on the injured list since July 26 with a season-ending stress reaction in his left tibia. The injury is not considered to be serious, according to the White Sox, and is expected to heal with rest. It is anticipated that he will be ready for Spring Training.

Adding young talent meant subtracting proven veterans such as Kopech, Fedde and Pham. Kopech came to the White Sox with third baseman Yoan Moncada as part of the four-player return from Boston in the Chris Sale deal on Dec. 6, 2016. It began the last White Sox rebuild, resulting in two straight playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history during the 2020-21 seasons, which ended with just two total playoff victories.

Fedde joined the White Sox on a two-year, $15 million deal after reinventing himself as the KBO’s top pitcher in ‘23. The right-hander posted a 7-4 record for a Chicago club more than 50 games below .500, compiling a 3.11 ERA over 21 starts. Kopech began Spring Training as a starter but moved into the closer’s role, producing 59 strikeouts and nine saves over 43 relief appearances.

“It’s mixed emotions,” Kopech said. “Excitement for a fresh start in my career, to be able to go and contend to a team that wants me over there, but grateful for what I’ve had here with the White Sox.”

Fedde added: “I'm thankful they gave me the chance to come out here and prove it again. Not everybody had to believe in me or give me the shot, so they gave me a great offer. I came here, tried to make the best of it, and I hope all the guys they get in return for me are well worth it.”

Getz expects more White Sox trades to take place before the Deadline, although he laughed when asked how many and which players. It does not look as if center fielder Luis Robert Jr. will be moved, but left-handed starter Garrett Crochet is among the group still in play.

These moves are about assessing where the White Sox are now, which is getting talent to get much better in the future.

“We've done deals in the past where it was more volume-based than just perhaps some other trades that are just one or two players of higher value. In this case, it's three,” Getz said. “It was about finding players that can control the zone and have real offensive potential. Miguel Vargas, we're most familiar with him just because he's further along in his career.

“[Vargas] was heavily sought after last offseason by teams, certainly at this Deadline. So, we're going to get a chance to really get an idea of what he's capable of doing, and we're confident that he's going to be a strong middle-of-the-lineup type hitter for us in the near future."