Did the White Sox make out better than the Cardinals in three-team deadline trade?

The reviews were not kind to the Chicago White Sox after GM Chris Getz completed his first major trade deadline deal last year.

The widespread belief was that the White Sox got swindled in a three-team trade that sent pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham to the St. Louis Cardinals and reliever Michael Kopech to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers got Tommy Edman from the Cardinals and sent Miguel Vargas, along with two other prospects, to the White Sox. One of those prospects, Alexander Albertus, had a broken leg.

Cardinals declared early winners

The Cardinals made out like bandits in the trade. They got two Major League players from the White Sox without having to give up any of their prospects. Fedde was also one of the most sought-after starting pitchers on the trade market, given his 3.11 ERA with a 3.77 FIP at the time of the deal, along with having another year of club control left at an affordable price.

Given Fedde's on-paper value, White Sox fans were hoping that Getz would get more, especially with Kopech showing improvement on the mound and having value of his own.

For the rest of 2024, it looked like Getz completely botched the use of his best trade assets at last year's deadline. Vargas struggled with a .104 average and a .387 OPS in two months with the White Sox after being moved.

However, this trade is a prime example of why it is foolish to call out the winners and losers of a deal at the time it is made. It takes time to sort out who can truly be declared the victor, or if the deal was mutually beneficial.

Time has showed that the Cardinals did not make out as well as most people initially thought.

St. Louis eventually ended up designating Tommy Pham for assignment. Fedde has been good for the Cardinals, but did not help propel St. Louis into the postseason in 2024.

The Dodgers turned out to be the big winners of the trade. Edman and Kopech played key roles in Los Angeles winning the World Series. Edman was the World Series MVP, and Kopech got some big late-inning outs during the championship run.

White Sox did well with Vargas improving

Miguel Vargas making an April swing adjustment is now making the White Sox look like they did second best in the three-team trade.

Vargas has been on a tear since adjusting where he rests his bat before getting ready to swing. He raised his slash line from .139/.235/.194 on April 19 to its current state of .242/.320/.434.

Since April 23, Vargas is batting .280 with 10 home runs and an OPS of .883. He has gone from certified bust to a fringe All-Star. More importantly, he has become a core piece that Getz can build a competitive team around.

Vargas' emergence is bigger player development win than a trade victory, but if he keeps on this trajectory, the trade that brought him to Chicago will be remembered fondly.

Vargas' star potential and years of club control are big reasons why I believe the Cardinals now deserve the failing grade, while the White Sox deserve a lot of praise.

Fedde has pitched well this season for the Cardinals with a 3.54 ERA over 15 starts. He was solid in his return to Rate Field this past week with St. Louis as he allowed just two runs, one of them earned. But unless the Cardinals extends him, Fedde could bolt after the season in free agency.

Now, the Cardinals could trade him if they fall out of the playoff race by the deadline. If they fall short of the postseason this year and Fedde leaves in free agency, the Cardinals will have failed to achieve their main objective behind acquiring Fedde, which was making the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the White Sox will hopefully have a star player in Vargas for the rest of the decade. It could get even better if Jerel Perez, one of the two Dodgers prospects the Sox got in the deal, gets to the big leagues and makes an impact. At that point, it's definitely safe to declare the White Sox finished ahead of the Cardinals in this transaction.