Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers have been anxiously awaiting news of whom would be acquired at the trade deadline.
Monday afternoon, news broke that the Dodgers have been involved in a three way trade with the St Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox.
The full trade is three teams and seven players, according to sources.
Dodgers get: UT Tommy Edman, RP Michael Kopech.
Cardinals get: SP Erick Fedde, OF Tommy Pham.
White Sox get three INF prospects from the Dodgers: Miguel Vargas, Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez.
Tommy Edman, a switch-hitter who has played all over the infield and outfield, is mainly an up the middle guy. He won Gold Glove in 2021 at second base. However, he has not played an MLB game this year due to offseason wrist surgery, then incurring an ankle injury during spring training. Edman has progressed to a rehab assignment in Double-A, but only as a designated hitter to this point.
Edman has more power from the right side of the plate than the left in his career-
.277/.320/.484/.803 (615 PA), compared to
.261 .318/.381/.700 (1,810 PA) as a LHB.
His timetable to join the Dodgers is unclear at this time, with signs pointing to early August. He is signed through 2025, at $9.5M.
Michael Kopech is a right handed relief pitcher who debuted in 2018 with the White Sox. He did not play at all in 2019 and 2020. So far this season he is 2-8 with a 4.74 ERA. He has one year of arbitration left next season.
The Dodgers are sure to not be done yet, so stayed tuned for more trade deadline news.
Miguel Vargas will have the opportunity to play much more often in Chicago. Perez played in the All-Star Futures Game this year. He is hitting .264, and a .800 OPS, with 10 home runs with Rancho Cucamonga. Albertus is hitting .298 between ACL and Rancho Cucomonga this year.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
I think the Dodgers will regret trading Vargas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I blame trading Vargas on Roberts. If Vargas plays well it should be another reason to fire Roberts.
LikeLike
I get what you’re saying, but Dave doesn’t do anything without the full backing of the front office so it’s not entirely on him
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not on Dave at all. I would bet they did not even ask his opinion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think Vargas is hugely overrated. He really is a liability everywhere he plays on the field. First base might be his best position. He sucked at second and he is a lousy outfielder. I won’t miss him at all. On the other hand, the full trade is this. Sox get Vargas, Perez, Albertus and a PTBNL or cash, all from the Dodgers. Cardinals get Fedde, Pham, and a PTBNL or cash from LA. Dodgers get Edman, on the IL and will be out for at least two more weeks at the minimum, Michael Kopech and RHP Oliver Gonzalez who is 17 and, in the Az, developmental league. If you think the decision to not play Vargas except against lefties is all Roberts, you are sadly mistaken. That is an organizational decision. Stats show he hit lefties better so that is who he played against. I don’t think they will regret trading the guy one bit. Roberts does what the FO wants him to do. His job is to keep the players happy, and they love playing for the guy. He has to feed a lot of huge egos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are probably right Bear. But Roberts was saying the other day Vargas plays when HE decides was the hyperbole? Dodgers management brought Vargas up but he had few at bats. It’s very difficult for anyone to hit when you don’t get at bats, especially rookies. I wanted them to put him at 3rd for 10-12 games and see how he did. All the coaches including Gomes say he is a natural offensive talent which this team desperately needs! I was not a fan of the Biggio pickup as they didn’t need another Mendoza line hitter. I had hoped Muncy being out would get Vargas some time. I do understand they are aiming at winning. However the incredible amount of injuries along with their horrible strategic at bats with RISP and in late innings leads me to think they aren’t going to win this year either. Plus Roberts has consistently been responsible for a loss just about every playoff game with his in game pitching decisions. So against a team that at parity they go in -1 as their record demonstrates. Any say Roberts doesn’t do that or responsible for this. What is he responsible for? Obviously not getting them in the mental state to compete in the playoffs as their record indicates. I think Roberts is a terrific human being. He was by all reports a great bench coach I believe he is a shining example of the Peter Principle. Does Friedman want a sock puppet? Maybe?
LikeLike
Item A. Vargas is no third baseman. He proved that over time. In 325 games as a third baseman, over 2700 innings his fielding percentage at third is .923. That is awful. He made 63 errors there. B. He is no outfielder. Defensively he is a liability there. Fielding pct as an outfielder, .936. C. He does not hit RHP. Over 200 at bats, a .198 avg. That makes him platoon fodder. His best position is first base, he was not going to play there in LA. D. They picked up Biggio for one reason and one reason only. He hits left-handed. He won’t be around long. They have no clue how long Muncy will be out. Been over two months already. E. Roberts makes pitching decisions. He puts the players in. It is up to the player, always has been, to do his job. Dave Roberts has not thrown one single pitch or took one at bat. But fans always blame the manager. I can guarantee you that under the same circumstances, other managers have made decisions that backfired. It is not on Roberts that pitchers are on pitch counts. It is the culture of the game now. And in the case of pulling the two rookies in Houston this weekend, he is doing what the front office mandates, keeping their pitch counts down and protecting their arms. Is it his fault that all of sudden Phillips can’t get anyone out? Is it his fault that Daniel Hudson has his worst outing in over a month? It isn’t on Dave that Vesia coughs up a hair ball and gives up a homer. It is always on the player. Vargas may be a natural offensive talent, but he hasn’t shown that in Los Angeles. He has shown some signs at AAA. He sucked last year when they handed him the second base job. Everyone blamed it on him breaking his hand. Might be true. But as far as his performance as a Dodger, very mediocre. And I don’t care what Roberts might have said, the analytics the Dodgers use dictates the lineup more than the manager. And the analytics say Vargas cannot hit right-handed pitching. Those are the facts, not guesswork.
LikeLike
I understand what you are saying and have no problem recently in keeping the inning count down for two great looking rookies.its absolutely not Roberts fault that Phillips and several of the bullpen pitchers are not performing. Many people like yourself are adamant that nothing is Robert’s responsibility. So u r saying he is Friedman sock puppet. This team the last few seasons has been flat in the playoffs. U r saying that’s not his responsibility either?
LikeLiked by 1 person
So Vargas career average to this point in MLB is only .201 with most of his at bats coming in his injury riddled 2023 season. So his average against left handed pitchers is barely more than against righties. Now going to AAA, Vargas hit lefties.298 over 201 plate appearances from 2022-2024. For the same time period he hit righties for an average of .296 over 618 at bats. In 2023 and 2024 at AAA he actually had reverse splits, doing better against righties. Vargas has hit at every level and will in the majors given consistent opportunities. Defensively he’s been jerked around from 3B to 2B to 1B to LF. He’s a good athlete and considering his offensive potential I hope Chicago gives him a position and sticks with one. Well that’s my opinion and I still think he has star potential. Gary
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
LikeLike
Exactly… Roberts or his sock puppet masters didn’t let the kid stabilize. Everyone agrees he is athletic. I believe this was a huge mistake.
LikeLike
By the way his fielding pct was .982 at 2B for LA in 2023.
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
LikeLike
JT was traded today to the Mariners for a minor leaguer. He was pulled from the game the Jays were playing.
LikeLike
We need to convince him to retire after this season so we can add him to the coaching staff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course, under the right (or wrong, depending upon how you look at it) set of circumstances, there might be a managerial opening here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think JT would make a great manager.
LikeLike
I admit to being biased against Roberts. I like managers whose teams over achieve rather than Roberts underachieving teams. Some managers have the knack of guiding teams to win. Bochy is a great example. Were the Championship Giant teams the best teams? Lasorda was able to drive teams that were not as talented to compete. Some people have that gift. Dodgers need to find one that at least gets teams to play to their potential.
LikeLike
How can you say they under achieve? No teams in Dodger history have been as successful during the regular season as this bunch has, and that is with missing major pieces sometimes. Bochy’s career record is still under .500. He will get in the Hall simply because he has been lucky enough to have led 4 WS champs. But he is not a great manager. If he was, all those losing teams, would have played better. Texas got hot and won.
LikeLike
Easy Bochy has taken inferior teams into the playoffs and won 4 world championships! THAT is the definition of a great manager. Take an average team and win the important WS! Everyone that is a Roberts fan says look at his regular season record. So what! Everyone agrees he is given one of the top two or three teams talent wise every year! Not a big deal to win when you are better than almost everyone! But winning 4 World Championships with average teams because they mysteriously get Hot 4 times? Really Bear?
LikeLike
Ok I just want to say one thing – Shohei has an opt out clause if Roberts is fired. Does that mean nothing?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the opt out is if Freidman is fired.
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure it’s both
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shohei can opt out if either Andrew or Mark Walter leave. Doc was not mentioned in the contract, although Shohei had some nice things to say about him the other day.
LikeLike
You’re right, my brain failed me there
LikeLike
No, it is not his fault the team was flat. I think most of that is because of the 5-day layoff after the season. If it isn’t a reason, explain to me why 6 of the teams with byes have lost over the last two seasons. Five of them in the DS. It is hard enough to play the game without missing five days and not facing live pitching in a game scenario. His responsibility is to put players into a position where they can succeed. Surely you are not implying that Roberts puts guys in to fail. Is it his fault that none of the team’s stars have hit well in the playoffs since 2020? In 2020, Seager, Bellinger, Mookie, Muncy, Smith, all performed at a high level, and they got clutch hits from Barnes, Kike and Joc. In 21, it was Bellinger, Taylor and Pollock who led the way. Betts, Muncy, Smith, Trea Turner, JT, all were mediocre in the NLCS against the Braves. Seager had two homers and four RBIs and that was about it. Taylor hit three homers in game five to keep them from being eliminated. In 2022, the team with 111 wins got knocked out by a SD team they dominated in the regular season. Sound familiar? Happened to the Mets in 88. Check the stats. In the 22 series JT had 2 hits, Betts had 2. The only regular who hit at all was Freddie. Muncy was 4-14. In 23, Mookie was ofer, and Freddie had 1 hit. Not going to win many games when the big guns turn into cap pistols. And they ran into a hot team. Also, injuries have had a lot to do with the last three post-season series. 21. Muncy was out because he was injured the last day of the season. They really missed his bat in the postseason. He owns the Giants. That series might have been shorter had he been there. Scherzer said his arm was tired and pitched exactly 4 innings in the NLCS. Kershaw was out for the series too. So was May. In 22, Urias was the only starter to get a win. That is not the manager’s fault. And this year, this is probably Roberts most challenging season. 9 pitchers on the IL. Three guys who started games for them out for the year, Sheehan, Gonsolin and May. Their entire starting staff leaving spring training has been on the IL at one time or another. And since June, down two of their better power bats, and one of the best players in the game. Dave Roberts has responsibility to the ownership and the front office of using the players the way the team wants, and his other responsibility is communicating with his players and keeping a cohesive clubhouse. Has he made some bad decisions on the field, yes, all managers do. But tell me this, who would you replace him with? Maddon? Game has passed him by. AF could have hired him a couple of years ago. Bochy is in Texas and not leaving soon. Most of the managers who are not managing right now do not have Roberts resume. He is a great communicator and his players love playing for the guy. Who he is given to use, well that falls on Freidman and Gomes.
LikeLike
If they actually wind up replacing Doc, I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see Skip Schumaker get serious consideration.
My first choice, as I have stated many times, is Chase Utley. I don’t care if he has no managerial experience and I don’t care if he lives in England now. A man can dream, can’t he?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, to Utley. Always liked Schumaker. He was a gamer. Think JT would make a great manager too. But I do not want any retreads.
LikeLike
I agree give me a scrapper. Thought Roberts was one but obviously not
LikeLike
If you liked the Vargas trade, you are going to love this one, Dodgers traded Mike Flynn to the Rays for wait for it, Ahmed Rosario. Ryan Yarbrough was DFAed.
LikeLike
GL. I get it about Vargas, but he has not proved anything. Like many other prospects, he is just that until he proves he is a major leaguer. I also think the Dodgers care less about fielding pct. It is more about defensive runs saved. He did not show a lot of range. You cannot compare AAA stats to what you face in the majors. He is a very good AAA hitter.
LikeLike
This was a HUGE win for us. Right now. Vargas was a terrible fielder. He played a flyball into a double two weeks ago. Has a good arm; but bad reads. Had an assist after misplaying a ball a few days back. 2nd base? He fielded OK. But had very limited mobility. First base? Not going to play there. 3rd base? Limited mobility. And not a good fielder. He is a good DH against lefties. I get to watch a lot of games; and have seen him get some good hits this year; but like bearone says; he may be a natural offensive talent; but he hasn’t shown it here. Kopech has dominated lately as a reliever. And Edman? Gold Glove a couple years back as a utility man. Think Chris Taylor or Kike in the field. But a bit better. Same as a hitter. Think Kike or CT3. But a tick better. And he steals bases. And get this. His WAR is IDENTICAL to Kike and slightly better than CT3 for their careers. At four years younger than Kike and five younger than CT3.
LikeLike
Hold on there T. Bochy took two wild card teams to the Series and won, the other two Giants teams were not inferior teams. As a matter of fact, they both won their division without too much trouble. And they were pretty evenly matched with their competitors. Here is another flash for you, all four of the teams that his teams have beaten in the World Series had less wins in the regular season than his teams did. So don’t give me that he took inferior teams and won stuff, it is pure fantasy. His Rangers did beat a much better teams in the Rays and the Orioles in the first two rounds. But Houston and the Rangers were pretty evenly matched. It just isn’t that easy to win, and the best team does not always win. Bochy has never gotten a mediocre team into the playoffs. His best team was his 98 Padres. They made it to the World Series and lost. I get it, everyone thinks the guy is a genius. They say the same about Casey Stengel and all of his Yankee championships. But he had the best players of his generation on that team. Casey was a mediocre manager everywhere else, so was Joe Torre, he couldn’t win in Atlanta or New York with the Mets. Not the managers fault or reason when a team wins. It is all on the players. They play well you win. Dodgers played well enough to win in 2017 and were robbed. Under achieved, not hardly when you use common sense and know just how hard it is to win the way everything is set up now, I respect your opinion, but I don’t think managers do all that much to affect a game’s outcome.
LikeLike
Ok but he still has 4 rings. Roberts 1.
LikeLike
It isn’t that easy. Luck has a lot to do with it, and the manager, not so much.
LikeLike
you hit the nail Bear when you mention Stengel. He had. Very dominant teams, very similar to the dodgers, but he won all those world series because he was really, really lucky. So we really need a manager with more luck. Sorry but there is a reason a handful of managers win a lot of championships as against Roberts, who is handed a top 3/4 team every year and can’t win anything. Or maybe he is really really unlucky. Nah.
LikeLike
Casey never had to go through this many teams. He only had to beat the NL champ. Most of his teams were far superior to their competition. Alston won four too. And I never liked him much. Never thought he was a genius ever.
LikeLike
You might not like it but managers, coaches and players are rated in Championships. Jordan, Jabbar, the great Spurs teams, Championships. Roberts takes teams that consistently wins their division and LOSES! The incredible Yankees and Celtics… Championships Bochy took his and Won.. no matter what you say he has 4 rings and going to the Hall.
LikeLike
Still all on the players T. Coaches and managers can only suggest and make changes in game. Performance is on the players. Anyone who thinks that is not the case, well, they are totally wrong. I don’t think Bochy is any better than any other manager. He has been very fortunate with his teams. It is not about liking it. It is a fact, the manager, coach or whatever rarely makes a difference. A real second stringer can win games for you. It has happened in the World Series a bunch of times. Dodgers saw the effect in 21 when Rosario went off on them, and in the 18 World Series when a journeyman first baseman outfielder, Steve Pearce, was the series MVP>fact not fiction.
LikeLike
you are still missing the point Bear. Good managers win, even if they don’t always have the best team. Bad or mediocre managers lose, even if they have exceptional teams. Sound familiar? You can make all the excuses in the world, but after 10 division championships and nothing to show for it maybe we actually have a problem. I realize that 10 divisions in the nl west doesn’t make you elete or even close, it has still been an above average team.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Completely random statement here but i’ve watched Landon Knack pitch a couple times now and for some odd reason he reminds me a lot of Chad Billingsley. I love the future of our starting rotation. With Clayton eventually hanging them up you’ll have the two expensive aces in Glasnow and Yamamoto along with Ohtani if they decide to play him as a 2 way player again. Then if Romo Sasaki ends up coming to MLB you have to figure the Dodgers are the easy favorite for him. That all but ends Walker Buehler’s time with the Dodgers I would guess as there is no way Friedman is going to pay him a new contract with 2 TJ surgeries on that elbow. That leaves you with guys like Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller and Landon Knack to fill out the back of the rotation. This isn’t even mentioning Dustin May if he ever makes it back I hope they convince him to be the nastiest closer he can possibly be. His arm and that lanky delivery just won’t last throwing starters innings.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You didn’t even mention Wrobleski and Ryan who are pitching better than Miller or Buehler right now.
And another name that we’ve all forgotten about is “Catman” Gonsolin who should be ready by Spring Training.
LikeLike
Respect all of your opinions, I just totally disagree. I don’t think managers who have a winning percentage of under .500 for their careers are all that great. Four wins in 27 years. Where is all of his so-called genius the other years his teams did not make the playoffs? Stengel was barely over .500 for his career. .508.
LikeLike
I am not missing the point on anything Gordon, I just disagree with the opinions. It is my opinion and always will be, that performance in any game, regular season or post, is always on the player. Giants won 107 games in 21 despite having a jerk for a manager. Fans put too much responsibility for performance on managers in my opinion. You disagree, fine, but don’t tell me how or what to think,
LikeLike
You are correct. It ultimately comes down to the players executing and getting it done. I do believe that the manager has a larger effect in the post season. During the regular season a few bad decisions by the manager that cost games is not going to kill you. In a short playoff, blowing a game on a bad decision is lethal.
LikeLike
“A jerk for a manager”?
Isn’t that a little severe? What did he ever do to you?
Dodgers thought enough of him to make him the head of their minor league operations at one point.
LikeLike
Some coaches, managers and players win. We all know people like that. They have the knack. People that are very knowledgeable about each sport agree some of these people are special. Managers, coaches in the playoffs can make a huge difference. The Dodgers are by most experts the best run organization in the MLB. They have provided the manager elite talent every year. I don’t believe the regular season record of Roberts means he is a good manager as he has an elite team. When you are more talented in a 162 game schedule you will win a majority of games. However in the playoffs in a short series against teams at parity the manager makes a difference with line up choices, in game pitching changes and energy or drive. Roberts teams consistently under perform in those situations. Everyone including Roberts has agreed his teams have underperformed.
LikeLike
A very famous College coach one said about a rival “He can take his’n and beat your’n and he can take your’n and beat his’n”. If managers and coaches don’t matter why are some paid so much and in such high regard?
LikeLike