Did the White Sox Get a Good Enough Trade Return for Erick Fedde?

Prior to the trade deadline, the Chicago White Sox were viewed as one of the top sellers, with Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. headlining a long list of pieces they had on the market. While trading Crochet and Robert has proven to be difficult for a variety of reasons, the one piece we always knew would move was Erick Fedde.

The 31-year-old has been one of the best value signings in baseball from this offseason, inked to a two-year, $15 million contract. Fedde has been one of the most consistent starters in baseball this year, and at only $7.5 million per season, represents a steal when most starting pitchers are getting closer to double that on the open market.

Fedde had a long list of suitors for his services, but it was unclear how much prospect capital he could really extract considering his lack of track record beyond this season. In the end, Fedde ended up being involved in a complicated three-team deal, making it much harder to figure out exactly what his value was.

A Three-Team Trade with the Dodgers and Cardinals

The Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals struck the big deal of the day on the eve of the trade deadline, which involved seven players with three young ones heading back to Chicago.

Chicago dealt three players in this deal that were widely expected to be on the move. Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham are heading to St. Louis as they make a push for a Wild Card spot and Michael Kopech is going to bolster the Dodgers bullpen alongside Tommy Edman from the Cardinals.

The White Sox got a trio of young players back in this deal in the form of former top 100 prospect Miguel Vargas and two Single-A hitters in Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus.

What Was the White Sox Prospect Return?

I already wrote about the logic of this trade for the two contenders who add players at positions of need. Meanwhile, the White Sox kick off their selling by acquiring one player who will instantly join the MLB lineup and two young hitters with upside despite being fairly raw.

Vargas a consensus top 50 prospect in MLB just a little over a year ago while Perez and Albertus ranked in the middle tier of the Dodgers top 30 in most publications. On the surface level, this deal seems underwhelming to most fans given Fedde’s exceptional season. But let’s look at each player heading back to Chicago more carefully.

Miguel Vargas

Entering 2023, Vargas was one of the premium prospects in baseball with the expectation that he would quickly become a key piece for the Dodgers last year. His defensive fit was always somewhat of a question, but his hit tool was viewed as one of the best in MiLB in 2022.

Vargas broke camp with the team and played in 81 games during his full rookie season last year after a brief taste of MLB the year prior. The results were not great as he struggled to drive the ball with much consistency, but he still managed to get on base at over a .300 clip due to 38 walks in less than 300 plate appearances.

He ended up being sent down in July and finished the year in Triple-A. Fast forward to this season and Vargas began the year red-hot while shifting to left field after playing primarily second base and third base in 2023.

In 41 Triple-A games this season, Vargas slashed .290/.440/.566 while walking more than he struck out (38BB/33K) and producing quality contact to the tune of 14 doubles and 8 home runs. He was recalled to the Dodgers due to injuries in May and has held his own as a part-time player.

Vargas has a .736 OPS in his 80 MLB plate appearances with seven extra-base hits and eight walks. He hasn’t been excellent, but looks more comfortable at the plate than he ever did in 2023. He also has yet to receive everyday playing time and will get that opportunity in Chicago.

His positional fit is tricky as Vargas struggled heavily in the infield during his rookie season and has not looked great this season a left fielder. However, the White Sox can afford to move him around and figure it out given their lack of offensive talent.

He doesn’t profile as a star hitter, but is still rather young despite multiple MLB stints and will instantly be one of the better hitters in the White Sox organization especially from an approach perspective.

There is reason to believe Vargas can find even more of a groove in the next few months as a full-time player and will be viewed as a piece to build with in Chicago.

Jeral Perez

After performing very well in the Dominican Summer Ball League in 2022 and Arizona Complex Rookie Ball in 2023, Jeral Perez started his first full affiliated season extremely hot in Single-A. He posted over a 1.000 OPS in April this spring and flashed his offensive upside instantly.

Perez, who will finish the season at just 19 years old, has extremely quick hands and a twitchy swing that should lead to at least average or better power numbers. He led the ACL in home runs last year with 11 home runs in just 53 games played there. He’s up to 10 homers and 15 doubles this season across 288 at-bats in Single-A.

His pre-swing movement and coil allows him to consistently drive the ball to his pull side. He doesn’t necessarily sell out for power though as he’s able to control the zone well. His approach at the plate is advanced for his age as seen by his 48 walks this year and on-base percentage nearing .400 throughout his early years at lower levels.

A hefty swing that will probably need to simplify a little with time does result in a fair share of strikeouts but the walks and ability to work counts reduces that concern to a degree. His power and approach are ahead of his hit tool at this point, but he has the potential of a well-rounded hitter capable of 20 home runs a year.

His offensive numbers slowing down the past month or two could be partially a result of his first full length season of games, but may also be attributed to a higher dosage of breaking balls. He has ample time and room to add consistency with the already evident pull side power.

Defensively, Perez has played all over the infield in past seasons but profiles best as a second baseman. His size and average at best arm strength has resulted in most of his innings this year coming at second.

He won’t be a huge factor on the bases as well but could produce a handful of steals yearly especially given how often he’s able to draw walks.

It wil take some time and Perez should spend the rest of the year in Single-A Kannapolis for the White Sox, but his offensive upside is there. He doesn’t have necessarily an elite tool, but could develop into a powerful second baseman with high on-base rates in the future.

Alexander Albertus

Another 19-year-old infielder rounds out this trade return alongside Perez and the MLB-ready Vargas. Alexander Albertus is a similar track as Perez having spent 2022 in the DSL (and some of 2023) before making his way to Arizona last year.

He’s a tad behind Perez in that he spent the first part of this season in Arizona before making his way to Single-A where he excelled. He has played just 19 games in Single-A, but is dealing with a stress fracture that will likely keep him out for the rest of the season.

Albertus has not flashed the power that Perez has, but his contact skills are very advanced with a great approach and control of the zone. In his 31 games spent in the ACL this season, he slashed .342/.479/.459 with 27 walks in comparison to just 20 strikeouts.

His hit tool is the standout asset right now as he displayed an in-zone whiff rate around just 12% in the ACL. He rarely chases and puts the ball in play frequently when he does swing, but has yet to figure out a launch angle to build his impact.

With a quick path to the ball and hefty leg kick, Albertus should be able to tap into more power as he ages. These are the type of swings the White Sox will look to tap into even more as he progresses physically.

The approach and contact skills are steady, but Albertus will need to develop more impact at the plate as he progresses especially if the White Sox intend to keep him at third base.

He has played all three infield positions and his arm has been able to keep up at each spot but he lacks the athleticism to become a true shortstop. He probably profiles best at second base, but the organization will probably try to keep him at third for now with Perez set to play second. It wouldn’t shock me to see Albertus eventually get run in a corner outfield spot.

With less upside than Perez, Albertus will need to be have elite contact rates and swing decisions to become an impactful player especially if he slides to second base.

Overall Outlook

After seeing the rest of the deals that took place throughout the day on Monday, this package feels light to an extent for one of the better pitchers available on the market. With that said, the White Sox had to find a way to add hitters with upside.

While none of these players profile as stars, Vargas will become an everyday piece instantly in Chicago while Perez and Albertus have a shot to develop into all-around infielders. How the White Sox organization will develop these young hitters is another question, but in my eyes this return is not the horrible deal that some have made it out to be.

This return comes in below the expected value of Fedde’s market, particularly when factoring in Kopech and Pham, but the White Sox did add one immediate upgrade and two young projects.

The final day of the deadline is massive for the White Sox as the decision on Garrett Crochet looms large over the franchise and numerous other veterans are set to be dealt.