Grading The Massive Three Team Trade As The Season Wraps Up

Gong into the trade deadline, there were a few pieces that the White Sox were definitely going to move. Those three pieces were Tommy Pham, Erick Fedde, and Michael Kopech. Each player held their own individual value and many figured that with the market, Fedde and Kopech would get the White Sox decent hauls. However, nobody expected the White Sox to include all three in the same trade.

The White Sox ended up sending Tommy Pham and Erick Fedde to the St. Louis Cardinals, while sending Michael Kopech to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The White Sox did not receive any players from the Cardinals, but they received two prospects, Jeral Perez, Alexander Albertus, as well as third basemen Miguel Vargas from the Dodgers. Before we take a look at how the players the White Sox got in return did this season, let's check in on the players the White Sox shipped out.

Tommy Pham had a pretty solid season for the White Sox, as he was one of the best one year veteran signings the White Sox had made in a while. However, despite hitting a grand slam in his first game back with the Cardinals, he did not play nearly as well.

In 23 games with the Cardinals, Pham hit just .206 with two homeruns and 12 RBIs. This prompted the Cardinals to put him on waivers, where he would be claimed by the Kansas City Royals. He has played a bit better, but still not as well as he was on the White Sox.

Erick Fedde was the best signing for the White Sox, as he returned from the KBO and put on display the significant changes he made to his pitching style.

He was a hot commodity at the deadline, but he was also included in this massive trade. Since the trade, he had a 3.72 ERA over 10 starts for the Cardinals. He had 46 strikeouts in 55 innings. While still a very solid stat line, he was pitching better on the White Sox.

Turning to Michael Kopech, he has done the best out of the three players from the trade.

In 24 innings for the Dodgers, Kopech has a 1.13 ERA with 29 strikeouts. We could have all seen this coming, as since he started listening to the game plan the coaches had for him, he was doing much better.

In return, the White Sox received infielders Jeral Perez, Alexander Albertus, and Miguel Vargas. After the trade Albertus would receive season ending surgery and has not played for a White Sox affiliate yet.

In 30 games for the Cannon Ballers, 19 year old Perez hit .259 with 2 homers and 10 RBIs. The slash line was pretty similar to what he was doing with the Dodgers, however, the power wasn't where it was with the Dodgers, as he had 10 in 75 games before the trade.

Now, turning to perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the trade, Miguel Vargas. Vargas was the centerpiece of the trade for the White Sox, as he was a consensus top-40 prospect as of last year before losing his prospect eligibility.

However, it hasn't been pretty for Varags since joining the White Sox.

In 42 games with the White Sox he hit .104 with a .217 OBP. He added two homers, seven RBIs, and two stolen bases. Overall, it was about as bad as it could've been. There are still high expectations for Vargas and he will get a clean slate going into 2025, but if he doesn't play well, then he may be out of chances.

Overall, due to the performance of the players as well as the return compared to other teams trading comparable players, the White Sox will get a D+ for this trade. Albertus and Perez are very intriguing 19 year olds that now rank in the top-15 of their prospect list, but the main piece of the trade has been a bust to this point. 2025 will be the real test to see how this trade has aged, but to this point, it hasn't looked great.