Michael Kopech sat in the home dugout Monday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, reflecting on his big-league debut with the Chicago White Sox.
“I’ll never forget how many fans were here in support,” Kopech said of the Aug. 21, 2018, start against the Minnesota Twins. “It seemed unreal, it seemed like a movie scene. Even with some of my struggles as my career has gone on, and successes as well, I’ve had a lot of fans pulling for me here. To look back on my time here, I’m going to really appreciate those fans.”
Kopech is beginning his next journey with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being part of a three-team deal executed Monday afternoon. The Sox also traded starter Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham to the St. Louis Cardinals, along with cash considerations.
The Cardinals sent infielder Tommy Edman and pitcher Oliver Gonzalez to the Dodgers. The Sox received infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas along with infield prospects Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez, and a player to be named later or cash considerations from the Los Angeles Dodgers in moves pulled off one day ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
“It’s easier said than done to get a three-way trade to the finish line, because you’ve got so many different variables, moving parts, working through that process,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “We had been at it for close to a week to 10 days, at least talking different concepts, and we were able to get it to the finish line today.
“Obviously, we were on the selling side. And Tommy Edman is someone the Dodgers have had interest in for a while. And quite honestly, I always have kind of been intrigued by Tommy, as well. He’s just a solid all-around player. And St. Louis needed a starting pitcher, wanted a starting pitcher, targeted Erick. So with those needs and those conversations, we just kind of connected the dots and were able to facilitate a deal.”
Vargas, 24, will be added to the Sox 26-player roster after slashing .239/.313/.423 with four doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs, 11 runs and eight walks in 30 games with the Dodgers this season.
He has a career .201/.294/.364 slash line with 20 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 40 RBIs, 51 runs and 48 walks in 129 games during three seasons with the Dodgers (2022-24).
“He hasn’t gotten a clear runway at the major-league level,” Getz said. “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.”
Kopech, 28, heads to the Dodgers after spending time as both a starter and reliever during parts of five seasons with the Sox.
He came to the organization in the 2016 trade that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. He had to undergo Tommy John surgery after four starts in 2018. He was out all of 2019 and opted out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season for personal reasons.
Kopech spent 2021 as a reliever and moved back to the rotation in 2022 before returning to the bullpen full-time this spring. He is 2-8 with a 4.74 ERA and nine saves in 43 appearances in 2024.
“It’s mixed emotions, excitement for a fresh start in my career,” Kopech said. “Grateful for what I’ve had here with the White Sox.”
Fedde continued his major transformation that began by winning MVP honors last season in the Korea Baseball Organization, going 7-4 with a 3.11 ERA — 11th in the American League — and 108 strikeouts in 21 starts after signing a two-year deal this offseason with the Sox.
“It’s obviously tough leaving a lot of my friends, but I already talked to a lot of people with the Cardinals, and it seems like they’re welcoming me with open arms, and I’m really excited to make a push for a deep run in October,” Fedde said.
Pham, 36, hit .266 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 70 games for the Sox. He signed a minor-league deal with the team on April 16 and joined the big-league club on April 26.
He had a big World Series last year for the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting .421 in a five-game loss to the Texas Rangers. Pham spent his first 4 1/2 seasons in St. Louis and has played for eight teams over 11 seasons.
“When you’re talking about expiring contracts on players, there was interest in Tommy Pham in a single-team deal, so to speak, or on his own, but it wasn’t going to bring as much value as we felt we got in this deal,” Getz said. “The expiring contract, right-handed bat, in all honesty, it has its limitations on a return.
“That’s just how the market has been for years and was playing out this deadline. We felt like it made the most sense to get this deal to the finish line with Tommy in it.”
With the additions of Vargas, Perez and Albertus, Getz said the Sox were “able to inject three offensive players into our organization.”
Perez, 19, slashed .264/.380/.420 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs in 75 games for Class A Rancho Cucamonga this season. An All-Star Futures Game selection this season, MLB.com ranked Perez the No. 17 prospect in the Dodgers organization.
Albertus, 19, has a combined .298/.420/.409 slash line with three home runs and 42 RBIs between stops at Arizona Complex League Dodgers (32 games) and Rancho Cucamonga (19 games). He is ranked the No. 23 prospect in the Dodgers system by MLB.com.
Getz said Perez is “another guy that’s got a bright future, high ceiling,” and that “our scouts were raving about” Albertus.
“To get those three, we felt like was a very good return, especially considering where we were on opening day and using some of the players that have become something to acquire talent,” Getz said.
