Former Dodger and current White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas made MLB history last night without even stepping on the field. As a result of the Dodgers winning the World Series in five games over the Yankees, Vargas will receive a World Series ring for his contributions in Los Angeles this season despite currently playing for the worst team in modern MLB history. While players get traded every year, for one player to experience polar opposite sides of the spectrum over the course of one season is unusual to say the least.
A longtime Dodgers top prospect, Vargas and two other prospects were traded to the White Sox in a three-team deal with the Cardinals this past July. Los Angeles got reliever Michael Kopech from Chicago and utility player Tommy Edman from St. Louis in the trade.
It is safe to say the Dodgers are already happy with their side of the deal. Kopech became integral to their bullpen down the stretch and Edman won the NLCS MVP award. Regardless of how good Vargas or prospects Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus eventually become, banners fly forever. The Dodgers got their title in large part because of Kopech and Edman. This trade also cements Kopech’s place in history. He went from the worst team to the best in the blink of an eye.
While Kopech upgraded in every sense of the imagination, Vargas had the opposite experience. He went from being on one of the best teams in baseball and the eventual World Series champion to being shipped off to a White Sox team that ended up being the worst in modern MLB history. To make matters worse, Vargas struggled mightily once he got to Chicago. In 42 games with the White Sox, Vargas hit just .104 with 14 hits in 157 plate appearances. A once top 100 prospect, Vargas’ future is now uncertain.
Thankfully for Vargas, his story in Chicago is far from over. Despite the massive downgrade from the Dodgers to the White Sox and his terrible initial audition in Chicago after the trade, Vargas will likely receive another chance to show what he can do next year. With the White Sox declining longtime third baseman Yoán Moncada’s team option earlier today, Vargas’ path for playing time next year just got significantly easier. He will likely be in a battle with fellow infielder Bryan Ramos for the starting third baseman job in Spring Training. However, Vargas’ ability to play other positions should give him a good chance to make the 2025 Opening Day roster in some capacity and cement his place in Chicago for years to come.
This season’s developments have to be a bummer for Miguel Vargas from an individual standpoint. Switching teams midseason is hard enough on a basic human level, but especially when the situations of each team are so drastically different. Hopefully, Vargas will use the events of the 2024 season as motivation moving forward and give him the mentality he needs to become the best player he can be. Given that Vargas was the centerpiece of this trade for the White Sox just a few months ago, the team will likely give him every opportunity to prove he belongs.
