Cardinals fans reminded of Tommy Edman trade mistake after Dodgers' St. Louis visit

In regard to long-term value, the absolute best acquisition the Dodgers made at their busy trade deadline last season was Tommy Edman. At the time, Jack Flaherty seemed like the better get to help the Dodgers' ailing rotation while Edman was still in Double-A on a rehab assignment at the time, but Edman's absolute dominance in the postseason (.328 average, .862 OPS) got him a five-year, $74 million extension in the offseason.

Last weekend, Edman returned to Busch Stadium in St. Louis for the first time since the trade, where he was greeted warmly by Cardinals fans. He spent almost a decade in the organization as a sixth-round pick for them in 2016. He was a former top-15 prospect and was an unfailingly steady part of the Cardinals lineup throughout his tenure there.

He got an ovation in his first at-bat against his former team on Friday, and he picked up a leadoff hit in the seventh. However, it wasn't until the series finale that Cardinals fans were really forced to feel the pain of his departure.

He scored the Dodgers' first run on an RBI single, scored another on a double, and then capped it off with a sac fly in the eighth.

Tommy Edman's three RBI night made Cardinals fans feel the pain of last year's trade with Dodgers

Edman has slowed down a lot as Tommy Tanks and only has two homers in May and June (he's spent some time on the IL with an ankle issue), but he's still putting up some of the best numbers of his career. He's keeping up with the rest of the Dodgers' All-Star lineup with his .457 slugging and .743 OPS, and he's tied with Mookie Betts at 33 RBI.

The Dodgers have also taken advantage of his defensive versatility and have split his time between second base and center field, getting even more value from the veteran.

Erick Fedde, half of the Cardinals' return in the three-way trade that also involved the White Sox, has also done decent work for them this season and could be a trade chip at this year's deadline, but Tommy Pham was DFA'd a month after he was acquired and is now dragging the Pirates down.

The Dodgers, who only gave up one major leaguer in the trade in Miguel Vargas, were the clear winners from the start, but Edman made that even more obvious to his old hometown crowd last weekend.