Michael Kopech had been a member of the Chicago White Sox organization since 2016 before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline this year.
That amounted to Kopech going from the team with the worst record in baseball to one that ended up with the best record and most importantly a World Series title.
A former first-round draft pick, Kopech was a highly coveted starting pitching prospect by 2016 and was part of the trade package sent to the White Sox from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Chris Sale.
He became one of the top prospects in baseball by 2017, coming in at No. 17 overall and No. 3 in the White Sox’s farm system. In 2018, the White Sox had the third-best farm system in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and Kopech was a big reason for that, coming in at No. 10 overall.
The White Sox had a very bright future thanks to the talented core of young players they had assembled in their farm system. They made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, but the operation quickly fell apart and by 2024 they had the most losses of any team in the modern era with 121.
While appearing on the “On Base With Mookie Betts” podcast with his teammates, Kopech explained what was going through his head when he heard that he was being traded to the Dodgers:
“A part of me knew that I was going to get traded, but I hadn’t had a good year on a bad team. So you don’t really know where you’re going to end up. From spring on, with you and the Shohei signing, everybody was like, ‘The Dodgers are the best team in baseball.’
“So to have that call at the trade deadline be like, ‘You’re going to the Dodgers,’ it was like, ‘OK, now baseball is starting.’ I was in a position to where I hate to say I was going through the motions. You know you’re not playing for anything other than your own career, and when you don’t want to play a selfish game because it’s not a selfish game, it makes it really hard.
“So to come over here, let the spotlight guys take the spotlight, and actually be a part of a winning culture was incredible. It was a blessing.”
From 2022-2024 the White Sox had a record of 183-303 and all of that losing was beginning to take its toll on the players. Kopech was not immune to the poor culture the White Sox had cultivated over the years, as the former top prospect had a 4.74 ERA in 2024 as a reliever.
However, the thought of playing meaningful games upon joining the Dodgers rejuvenated him. But more than that, it was about being allowed to change his mindset to having fun and being part of a team rather than being concerned solely on keeping his job.
Kopech became one of manger Dave Roberts’ most trusted relievers with a 1.13 ERA in 24 innings with the Dodgers. And that reliability continued into the postseason where he had a 3.00 ERA in nine innings. He also tied Anthony Banda for the team lead in postseason appearances with 10.
Michael Kopech’s career
An unfortunate sequence of events from 2018-2020 hindered Kopech’s development as a starter and limited him to just four Major League starts in that time. The stretch included Tommy John surgery in 2018 and sitting out of the 2020 season due to personal reasons. However, through it all Kopech retained his top prospect status up to 2021.
Kopech was temporarily moved to the bullpen in 2021 after missing so much time and helped the White Sox to a 93-69 record and a second consecutive postseason berth. In his first full MLB season, Kopech displayed some of the promise that many were hoping to see with a 3.50 ERA, 15 holds and an excellent 13.37 strikeouts per nine innings.
He became a starter once again in 2022 where he was serviceable, but returned to the bullpen for 2023 and 2024.
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