The White Sox baffled some fans when they dealt veteran starter Erick Fedde to the Cardinals as part of a three-team trade that yielded the South Side OF Miguel Vargas, INF Alexander Albertus and INF Jeral Perez.
The return was seemingly lower than Fedde's expected value and disproportionate to the packages sellers were receiving for other starting pitchers around the league.
According to a report from a Twins beat writer, the White Sox may have had a better offer from their division rival.
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"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 "Foul Territory."
"That was the starting piece. The Twins, that's a non-starter for them. They're not gonna touch those guys. If they wanted to do something it would've surrounded Luke Keaschall, who's looking like a really good player, but talks didn't advance at all.
"And they got the sense, with both Detroit and Chicago, that they just didn't want to trade in division."
White Sox News
To clarify, Hayes is reporting the White Sox were interested in one of Jenkins, Lee, or Rodriguez, who are the Twins' No. 1-3 prospects in their system. Keaschall is the Twins' No. 5 ranked prospect and No. 92 overall prospect in the minor leagues, according to MLB.com.
The Twins were reportedly willing to part with Keaschall, 21, and potentially other lower-level prospects in their system. Keaschall, currently a Double-A infielder, is batting .297 with a .870 OPS in 51 Double-A games this season.
Instead, the White Sox opted for Vargas, who was the No. 37 prospect in the 2023 rankings, and two 19-year-old infielders who are just scratching the surface of their professional careers.
It's debatable. But, as aforementioned, sellers at the deadline benefitted greatly from parting with their top arms. 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 reaped strong packages.
Fedde, 31, was arguably one of the most valuable veteran rentals on the market. The right-hander revamped his career in Korea in 2023, winning the league's MVP award with the NC Dinos.
This season, Fedde holds a 3.11 ERA and 1.142 WHIP through 21 starts (121.2 innings). He's struck out 108 batters while walking just 34. Additionally, he has 1.5 more seasons left on his contract, which is earning him $7.5 million per season. That's quite the bargain for a strong addition to most rotations around the league.
And for the White Sox to fear trading in division with Fedde is bewildering. He has just 1.5 seasons left on his contract, meaning he may not be with the Twins for longer than the remaining length of his contract. Considering the White Sox won't be a competitive team this season and next, handing them Fedde shouldn't deter them.
Alas, general manager Chris Getz opted for the three-team trade, getting Vargas in the lineup this season. Although, he doesn't have much to show for his young MLB career. He's batting a career .196 with a .645 OPS from 442 plate attempts seen in 131 games in the major leagues.
Did the White Sox get the most value possible out of Fedde? It appears debatable. But it also may not be the only missed opportunity the White Sox passed on before the trade deadline.