Cardinals acquire Fedde, Pham as part of three-team trade

St. The St. Louis Cardinals acquired right-hander Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham on Monday as part of a three-team trade that also moved reliever Michael Kopech to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

St. Louis took Fedde and Pham from the major league worst Chicago White Sox, who also sent Kopech to the Dodgers. The NL West leaders also acquired Gold Glove shortstop Tommy Edman from the Cardinals. The White Sox received infield prospects Miguel Vargas, Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez from the Dodgers.

Fedde should provide a boost to the Cards’ rotation as they try to push for a playoff spot after missing the postseason last year. He expects to make his first start with St. Louis later this week at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

“You always want to be able to add and you always want to be able to make your team better,” Cardinals veteran Matt Carpenter said.

Fedde, 31, 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 contract with the White Sox in December after pitching for the NC Dinos in South Korea through 2023.

“He’s a winner,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “He has a winning record on a team that is more than 50 games under .500.”

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.

Edman won a Gold Glove in 2021 and has had five solid seasons with the Cardinals since his debut in 2019. He did not play this year after having offseason surgery on his right wrist, but was on a rehab mission in double A and could be close to turning around. He also dealt with an ankle injury.

“I feel good,” Edman said. “I got a few weeks of rehab under my belt. The ankle feels much better. I will be reassessed in LA.”

Kopech, 28, moved back to the bullpen this season and is 2-8 with a 4.74 ERA, nine saves and 59 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings.

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 lead the Diamondbacks to the World Series last season after Arizona acquired him at the deadline.

Pham is batting .266 with five homers and 19 RBI this season.

The White Sox called up outfielder Dominic Fletcher, lefty Sammy Peralta and righty Touki Toussaint on Monday to fill their roster holes after trading Fedde, Pham and Kopech.

Grifol said Vargas will play a variety of positions and recently recalled right-hander Davis Martin will take Fedde’s spot in the rotation.

The White Sox (27-81) entered Monday’s game against Kansas City on a 14-game hitting streak. Chicago had a 108-game worse record than the 1962 Mets, the worst team in baseball’s modern era.

Grifol acknowledged that his team’s losses could increase further as it rebuilds.

“I think this helps us in the long run,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily help us in the short term. We must continue the process. Like I said, it hurts.”

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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB

Jay Cohen, Associated Press