Cardinals, Brewers, Dodgers and Royals add pitchers in flurry of trades on day before MLB’s deadline
The St. Louis Cardinals added starting pitcher Erick Fedde and Milwaukee, the team they are chasing in the NL Central, acquired starter Frankie Montas among a flurry of trades Monday by playoff hopeful teams.
Kansas City got veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen on the day before the MLB trade deadline, and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers picked up hard-throwing reliever Michael Kopeck in the three-team deal that sent right-hander Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham from the lowly White Sox to the Cardinals.
Chicago dealt Kopech to the Dodgers, who got utilityman Tommy Edman and a pitching prospect from the Cardinals. Los Angeles sent three infield prospects to the White Sox.
The Dodgers later reacquired utilityman Amed Rosario from Tampa Bay, getting him in a deadline deal for the second year in a row — they got him from Cleveland last July for Noah Syndergaard. Rosario signed with the Rays as a free agent this spring, then hit .307 with two homers and 26 RBIs in 76 games.
Montas, the righty who was 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA in 19 starts for Cincinnati, is going to the Brewers in a rare trade between division rivals.
“This is probably the toughest time that I’ve had leaving a clubhouse,” Montas said even before the teams had announced the deal. “The relationships I created here, and the way that they welcomed me in, not just me but my family and kids, it’s definitely tough.”
But the 31-year-old Montas, traded for the fifth time since his big league debut in 2015, also described going to a first-place team as “kind of like the cool part.”
Reigning World Series champion Texas (52-55), which is in third place in the AL West, traded Lorenzen to the Royals for a minor league lefty reliever.
Houston and Seattle, in a tight race for the AL West lead, both made trades with Toronto.
The Mariners made their third significant move ahead of the deadline by getting veteran Justin Turner from the Blue Jays for a minor league outfielder. Seattle added Randy Arozarena and Yimi Garcia in a pair of trades last week.
The Astros later got left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (4-9, 4.75 ERA in 22 starts) from Toronto for 23-year-old right-hander Jake Bloss, rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido and minor league first baseman Will Wagner.
Kikuchi is 35-46 with a 4.72 ERA in six seasons with Seattle and Toronto. He joins a rotation missing Justin Verlander (neck stiffness), Cristian Javier and José Urquidy (both Tommy John surgery).
AL Central leader Cleveland added experienced outfielder Lane Thomas from Washington for a minor league left-hander and two infielders. The 28-year-old Thomas is batting .253 with eight homers in 77 games this season, along with 28 stolen bases and a 25-game on-base streak for the longest active in the major leagues. He has a big league-high 24 outfield assists since the start of last season.
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 $15 million, two-year deal with the White Sox in December after he pitched for the NC Dinos in South Korea in 2023. A first-round draft pick by Washington in the 2014 amateur draft, he is 28-37 with a 4.92 ERA in 123 big league games (109 starts).
Lorenzen went 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) for the Rangers. In his last start Saturday, he allowed four runs and five hits while recording only two outs at Toronto. He then threw four innings in relief Sunday.
The 32-year-old Lorenzen was a first-time All-Star last season with Detroit, and threw a no-hitter for Philadelphia after being traded. He signed a $4.5 million, one-year contract with Texas on March 23. Primarily a starter the past three seasons, Lorenzen is 45-44 with a 4.08 ERA over 361 career games (87 starts) with Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Texas, the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said he looked forward to the “depth and versatility” the right-hander would provide.
Kansas City had two right-handed relievers exit Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs after getting hurt. John Schreiber (right knee patella tendon) went on the 15-day injured list Monday. Hunter Harvey, who the Royals got in a trade from Washington two weeks ago, was day to day after leaving with a back spasm.
The Reds picked up veteran first baseman Ty France and cash from Seattle for a minor league catcher. The 30-year-old France, a 2022 AL All-Star, was designated for assignment last week by the Mariners after hitting .223 with eight homers and 31 RBIs in 88 games.
Turner is expected for now to get the bulk of playing time at first base for Seattle, but can also play third base and was the designated hitter for 71 of the 89 games he appeared in for Toronto. The 39-year-old hit .254 with six homers and 31 RBIs in 89 games for the Blue Jays.
Pittsburgh got left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks from Colorado for a minor league lefty. The 31-year-old Beeks is 6-4 with nine saves and a 4.74 ERA in a career-high 45 relief appearances this season.
Boston acquired right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league infielder/outfielder Nick Yorke in an exchange of former first-round draft picks. The Red Sox then optioned Priester (2-6, 5.04 ERA) to Triple-A Worcester.
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