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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
The White Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers reached a three-team, eight-player trade Monday that saw St. Louis land starting pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham, and Los Angeles get super-utility man Tommy Edman and reliever Michael Kopech.
Three former Dodgers infield prospects — Miguel Vargas, Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez — are headed to the White Sox along with a player to be named later or cash.
Los Angeles also get 17-year-old right-hander Oliver Gonzalez from the Cardinals, while St. Louis will get cash from the White Sox and either cash or a player to be named later from the Dodgers.
The Cardinals, who began the week just one game out of a wild-card spot in the National League, had been looking for a starter to pair with Sonny Gray at the top of the rotation and are landing one of the best arms available.
“You always want to be in a position to add and you always want to be in a position to make your team better,” Cardinals veteran infielder Matt Carpenter said.
Fedde, 31, signed a two-year, $15 million contract coming off a stint in South Korea and has gone 7-4 with a 3.11 ERA and 108 strikeouts while making 21 starts for the last-place White Sox this season.
Selected by Washington in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft, Fedde is 28-37 with a 4.92 ERA in 123 big league games, including 109 starts.
“I’m definitely happy for it to be done,” he said. “It’s tough leaving a lot of my friends. I’m really excited to go make a push for a deep run in October.”
Pham, 36, didn’t sign until the middle of April but has slashed .266/.330/.380 with five homers and six stolen bases in 70 games for the White Sox.
Edman, 29, heads to the Dodgers after missing the entire first half of this season following offseason wrist surgery and then suffering a sprained ankle. He has since played eight games in a rehab assignment and could be nearing his return.
“I’m feeling good,” Edman said. “I’ve gotten a couple weeks of rehab under my belt. The ankle’s feeling a lot better. I’m going to get reevaluated out in L.A.”
The switch-hitter slashed .259/.313/.395 with 37 homers and 89 stolen bases in 449 games from 2021 to 2023 and brings versatility to a Dodgers team that has suffered a slew of injuries, with experience playing shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield spots, most notably center field.
Kopech, 28, has posted a 4.74 ERA in 43 appearances in his transition to the bullpen this year, striking out 59 and issuing 24 walks in 43⅔ innings.
“A lot of mixed emotions but excitement for a fresh start in my career,” Kopech said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about the organization over there, especially when it comes to developing pitchers. I am eager to see how things are there.”
Vargas, 24, has slashed .201/.294/.364 with 11 homers in 129 major league games over the past three years and is a seen as a high-upside hitter with defensive limitations. Albertus and Perez, both 19, were obtained out of the international market and had been playing at the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate together.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com