It was a heavily criticized move when Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz traded away right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde, right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech, and outfielder Tommy Pham in a three-team trade at the 2024 trade deadline.
Not because the White Sox were supposed to hold onto those guys, dealing all three always made sense. It was the return package that underwhelmed most Sox fans.
Without Garrett Crochet or Luis Robert Jr. being dealt at the deadline, Fedde, Kopech, and Pham were probably Chicago’s three most valuable trade assets. Fedde and Pham ended up with the St. Louis Cardinals while Kopech went the future World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was Miguel Vargas and minor league infielders Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez coming back in the package to Chicago. Vargas, a former top prospect, was the headliner. Back in 2023, Vargas was the No. 3 prospect in the Dodgers organization and the No. 37 prospect in baseball.
Even with a former highly-regarded prospect like Vargas, production matters. In 129 major league games with the Dodgers before the trade, he was hitting .201 with 11 home runs and a .658 OPS. Sox fans were skeptical, but Getz saw something he liked. When Vargas went 14-for-135 with Chicago after being dealt, it looked like Getz had totally botched the trade.
Erick Fedde went on to make 10 starts with the Cardinals in 2024 with a 3.72 ERA. Michael Kopech made 24 appearances out of the Dodgers’ bullpen with a 1.13 ERA and eventually helped them win the World Series.
And the White Sox got…a .387 OPS from Vargas and two minor leaguers.
Jeral Perez looks like a future White Sox star
Don’t look now, but Chris Getz might have hit the jackpot with the Fedde-Kopech-Pham trade back in July after all. Yes, Miguel Vargas is starting to turn things around after making a change to his swing mechanics. But Vargas might not be the real prize of the return package.
Jeral Perez is still only 20 years old and has hit eight home runs in 24 games for the Winston-Salem Dash (A+) to open the 2025 season.
Perez is currently the 19th ranked prospect in the White Sox organization by MLB.com. He was originally the third piece of the deal and the lowest valued player in the return package. Now he’s a fast-riser in the organization that has 20+ home run upside from the middle infield.
“Perez's lightning-quick hands produce some of the best bat speed in the system and allow him to make harder contact than most players his age,” writes MLB.com in his prospect report. “A right-handed hitter, he's not afraid to turn his swing lose but controls the strike zone reasonably well. He already displays the ability to launch balls in the air to his pull side and could grow into 20-homer power.”
At 20 years old, Perez is over two years younger than the average High-A player, but is still leading the South Atlantic League in home runs. Going into Saturday, Perez is slashing .233/.324/.578/.902.
He is undoubtedly a Sox prospect worth keeping an eye on. If he keeps developing at this rate, Perez is going to end up being a significant big league contributor, or even a star some day and make White Sox GM Chris Getz look like a genius.