The White Sox surprised some fans when they sent veteran starter Erick Fedde to the Cardinals as part of a three-team transaction that included South Side OF Miguel Vargas, INF Alexander Albertus, and INF Jeral Perez.
The return appeared to be lower than Fedde’s estimated value and disproportionate to the packages sellers received for other starting pitchers across the league.
According to a Twins beat writer, the White Sox may have received a higher offer from their division foe.
“They (White Sox) wanted one of those three: Walker Jenkins, who’s the No. 6 prospect, Brooks Lee, who’s No. 13, and Emmanuel Rodriguez, where depending on where you look, he’s 30-40 between multiple services,” Dan Hayes said on ESPN’s “Foul Territory.”
“That was the beginning piece. That is unacceptable to the Twins. They aren’t going to touch those guys. If they wanted to do something, they would have surrounded Luke Keaschall, who appears to be a very excellent player, but discussions stalled.
“And they got the sense, with both Detroit and Chicago, that they just didn’t want to trade in division.”
Details on Twins Erick Fedde trade talks from @DanHayesMLB:
• White Sox wanted to start convo w/Walker Jenkins, Brooks Lee or Emmanuel Rodriguez. Twins said no.
• Twins were willing to trade Luke Keaschall but White Sox talks never advanced. Didn't want to trade in division. pic.twitter.com/OguMpNl7T7
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 1, 2024
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To clarify, Hayes reports that the White Sox were interested in one of the Twins’ top three prospects, Jenkins, Lee, or Rodriguez. According to MLB.com, Keaschall is the Twins’ fifth-best prospect and the No. 92 overall prospect in the minor levels.
The Twins were allegedly willing to part with Keaschall, 21, and possibly other lower-level prospects in their organization. Keaschall, a Double-A infielder, is presently batting.297 with an OPS of.870 in 51 games this season.
Instead, the White Sox selected Vargas, the No. 37 prospect in the 2023 rankings, and two 19-year-old infielders who are still in the early stages of their professional careers.
It is arguable. However, as previously said, sellers at the deadline benefited significantly from parting with their best guns. For example, the Marlins (four top Padres prospects for Tanner Scott), the Angels (two top Phillies pitching prospects for Carlos Estévez), and the Rays (three Padres prospects for Jason Adam) all received attractive deals.
Fedde, 31, was perhaps one of the most valuable veteran rentals on the market. The right-hander relaunched his career in Korea in 2023, winning the league MVP award with the NC Dinos.
Fedde has a 3.11 ERA and 1.142 WHIP after 21 starts (121.2 innings). He’s struck out 108 batters and walked only 34. Furthermore, he has 1.5 seasons remaining on his deal, which pays him $7.5 million per season. That’s a great deal for a valuable addition to most rotations across the league.
And the White Sox’s fear of trading in division with Fedde is perplexing. He has only 1.5 seasons left on his deal, so he may not stay with the Twins for longer than that. Given that the White Sox will not be a competitive team this season or next, Fedde should not deter them.
Unfortunately, general manager Chris Getz chose the three-team transaction, putting Vargas in the lineup this season. However, he has little to show for his brief MLB career. He has a career.196 batting average and a.645 OPS in 442 plate appearances across 131 major league games.
Did the White Sox get the most possible value out of Fedde? It seems dubious. However, it is possible that this was not the only missed opportunity for the White Sox before the trade deadline.
