The White Sox traded Erick Fedde to the St. Louis Cardinals the other day in a three-team trade involving the Dodgers. Chicago received three young players in the deal, most notably Miguel Vargas. The deal drew immediate criticism from fans. Some felt like the White Sox return was light, and now there is more reason to believe that might be true. Dan Hayes, the Twins writer for The Athletic, revealed today on Foul Territory that the Twins were willing to move top prospect Luke Keaschall in a Fedde trade. However, the talks never advanced because the White Sox did not want to trade Fedde in the division.
The #92 overall prospect per MLB.com, Luke Keaschall is a 21-year-old having a solid season in the Twins’ minor league system. Thanks partly to his 55-grade hit and 55-grade run tools, Keaschall is hitting .314 with 21 doubles, 14 home runs, 21 stolen bases, and a .929 OPS in 95 games between the High-A and AA levels this season. Keaschall has played first, second, and center field this season, so he is also very versatile. The former 2023 second-round pick’s stock has soared this season, but evidently, the Twins valued Fedde enough to offer Keaschall in a trade with the White Sox.
There are some circumstances in which trading with division rivals does not make sense. Trading a player with a lot of team control falls into that category, as a team would have to see that player a lot over the following years. Trading within the division also does not make sense if both teams are competitive, as that would only weaken your team while making your rival stronger.
However, neither of those scenarios was a factor as far as an Erick Fedde trade was concerned. Fedde only has a season and a half remaining on his contract, and the White Sox will not be contending anytime soon. According to Hayes, Chicago never entertained the idea of trading with Minnesota even though Fedde’s potential presence on the Twins roster would have had no long-term impact on the White Sox organization. The thought process here by the White Sox seems questionable at best.
Just because the White Sox did not trade with the Twins does not mean the players the White Sox acquired are not good. It is worth noting that Miguel Vargas was a higher-ranked prospect last year according to MLB.com than Keaschall is right now. However, Keaschall is almost three years younger than Vargas, and there is an argument that he would have fit the White Sox next potential contention window better.
The main issue in this scenario is the White Sox apparent reluctance to think outside the box when trading away one of their top trade chips at this year’s deadline. Trading Fedde within the division should not have been a consideration for a team on pace to be the worst in modern baseball history. But it was. A team as far from contention as the White Sox needs to accumulate the best group of young talent through trades, regardless of who they trade with. The fact that they were not open to making a deal within the division feels like a missed opportunity that might bite them later.
