In a move to shore up their bullpen and add infield depth, the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday acquired hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech from the Chicago White Sox and utility man Tommy Edman from the St. Louis Cardinals.
The three-team deal came on the eve of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline.
The Cardinals landed right-hander Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham from the White Sox, who obtained infielders Miguel Vargas and two prospects, Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez, from the Dodgers.
Kopech, 28, is a former starter who moved to the bullpen this season. He is 2–8 with a 4.74 earned-run average, nine saves, and 59 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings.
Edman won a Gold Glove in 2021 and had five solid seasons with the Cardinals since his debut in 2019. He hasn’t played this year after having offseason surgery on his right wrist, but was on a rehab assignment in Double-A and could be close to returning. He’s also dealt with an ankle injury.
“I’m feeling good,” Edman said. “I’ve gotten a couple weeks of rehab under my belt. The ankle’s feeling a lot better. I’m going to get re-evaluated out in LA.”
Fedde should provide a boost for the Cardinals’ rotation as they try to rally into a playoff spot after they missed the postseason last year.
“You always want to be in a position to add, and you always want to be in a position to make your team better,” veteran St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter said.
The 31-year-old Fedde is 7–4 with a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts in a successful return to the majors. He finalized a two-year, $15 million deal with the White Sox in December after he pitched for the NC Dinos in South Korea in 2023.
Fedde was selected by Washington in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft. He is 28–37 with a 4.92 ERA in 123 big league games, including 109 starts.
Pham played his first 4 1/2 seasons in the big leagues with the Cardinals before being traded to Tampa Bay. The well-traveled 36-year-old helped the Diamondbacks make the World Series last season after Arizona acquired him at the deadline.
Pham is hitting .266 with five homers and 19 RBIs this season.
The White Sox, who own baseball’s worst record, called up outfielder Dominic Fletcher, left-hander Sammy Peralta, and right-hander Touki Toussaint fill the holes on their roster after trading away Fedde, Pham, and Kopech.
