On Tuesday, Miguel Vargas faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the regular season for the first time since being traded to the Chicago White Sox at the deadline last season.
The Dodgers traded Vargas, prospects Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus, and cash considerations to the White Sox as part of a three-team deal. They received Tommy Edman and prospect Oliver Gonzalez from the St. Louis Cardinals, and Michael Kopech from the White Sox in the trade.
Prior to first pitch in the series opener, Vargas was presented his 2024 Dodgers World Series ring by general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts. The moment was the culmination of years of Vargas’ hard work with the Dodgers organization, beginning with his decision to sign as an international free agent in 2017.
While he didn’t get to fully reap the benefits of that, Vargas spoke fondly of receiving his World Series ring from the Dodgers, via Scott Merkin of MLB.com:
“It feels good, you know? I feel a lot of players dream about something like this. I’m very happy to have one,” said Vargas after receiving his championship ring. “It’s always good to have that type of reward. Happy to see my old teammates and to be back here at Dodger Stadium.”
Vargas played in 129 games for the Dodgers during his first three seasons in the Majors, including 30 in 2024 before being traded. He hit .239/.313/.423 with four doubles, three home runs and nine RBI for the Dodgers last year.
There wasn’t a clear path to consistent playing time for Vargas while he was with the Dodgers, which didn’t make him a fit for their short-term plans. But it did make him a logical candidate to be traded in exchange for other areas of need.
The bright side for Vargas is that playing time has not been a problem on the White Sox. The move wasn’t an easy transition for him last season, but 2025 has been substantially better. While the numbers aren’t eye-catching, his offensive production has been league-average and is a massive step up from a 46 wRC+ in 2024.
Miguel Vargas part of Clayton Kershaw making history
Vargas started all three games against the Dodgers, and on Wednesday struck out in one of his at-bats against Clayton Kershaw. That helped his former teammate become the 20th pitcher in MLB history with at least 3,000 strikeouts.
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