The three-team deal general manager Chris Getz swung at the trade deadline keeps looking worse every time Michael Kopech dominates on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers while Miguel Vargas struggles to hit.
Kopech went to the Dodgers while outfielder Tommy Pham and pitcher Erick Fedde went to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal that netted the Sox Vargas, a former top-50 prospect, and two other prospects at A-ball from LA.
The Dodgers were originally panned when the deal was made for only getting Kopech while the Cardinals were deemed the ultimate winner as they did not have to give up any players to the Sox to get two major league players for the stretch run.
Pham is hitting .186 this month, Fedde has a 5.63 ERA in three starts for the Cardinals, and St. Louis is now 11 games back in the NL Central race along with being five games back in the NL wild-card race.
Kopech on the other hand has been dominate since going to Los Angeles.
Michael Kopech's stats since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline:
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) August 18, 2024
9.1 IP
1 H
0 ER
1 BB
13 K
He has 4 holds and is 2-for-2 in save opportunities, both coming in one-run games.
The Dodgers' new closer is unhittable and unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/ya0gcsabXw
Kopech was starting to throw better for Chicago after blowing a save on July 7th. He even threw an immaculate inning before he got traded. Turns out all Kopech needed to do was switch agents as after he went with Scott Boras, Kopech stopped trying to the ball as hard as he could to get outs.
That has made him nearly unhittable as he continues to throw serious heat, but as able to compliment that pitch with his secondary pitches.
It is not a good look for the Sox to have another player thrive after leaving the Southside. Reynaldo Lopez is an All-Star starting pitcher and Eloy Jimenez is no longer a disappointment in Baltimore.
Making this trade look even worse is Miguel Vargas is struggling badly since being acquired by the White Sox.
The crown jewel of the return the White Sox got is 5-for-49 with one extra-base hit and one home run since the deal was completed. Maybe going from one of the best teams in baseball to the absolute is taking its toll on the young player.
At face value this is about Miguel Vargas looking distraught in the White Sox dugout, but Glasnow touches on some really good stuff for the people who say that baseball players “don’t care about the team” or are all “me me me” nowadays.
— Taylor Jenkins (@TJenkinsTampa) August 12, 2024
Winning matters.pic.twitter.com/IdD4RSXZqg
It could be the Sox acquired a 4A player. Vargas can rake at Triple-A, but he was given plenty of runway last season to be the team's second baseman last year and failed with a .195 average and a .672 OPS.
He hit a little better this year in limited action with the Dodgers, but it was still a .237 average. Vargas might not just be a good big-league hitter. He was projected to finish with a wRC+ of 105 this year and so far is at 72.
Hitting fastballs was his weakness and also driving the ball consistently has been a major trouble for him.
Now, there is still time for things to turn around. The team is going to give him every chance to succeed. The problem is it is hard to be patient when Michael Kopech is making hitters look foolish for the Dodgers and the Sox did not have to trade him at the deadline since he still had team control.