5 Cardinals' trade targets from teams falling out of contention

The St. Louis Cardinals are on a bit of a tear lately. Heading into the series against their divisional rivals in the Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals have been able to reel off 8 wins in their last 10 games. The offense has improved, the bullpen has remained steady, and the players and coaches are starting to show some fire.

This has put the Cardinals back into playoff discussions. The team is in third place in the National League Central, they sit just 2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final Wild Card spot, and they have a 26.2% chance to make the playoffs according to FanGraphs.

If the output continues, the Cardinals could become buyers at the deadline, a position they were wholly familiar with prior to last season. While St. Louis has been surging, other teams have taken a step back. That leaves more sellers for the Cardinals to pluck players from.

There are plenty of holes that could be filled for the Cardinals even though they are playing well. Paul Goldschmidt has been warming up in May, but he's still hitting far below his career averages. The pitching staff could use a top-end starter to bolster their playoff ambitions. Even the outfield could use an upgrade offensively, especially if the organization is content with leaving Jordan Walker in Memphis for an extended run.

With an increasing population of sellers, and a commensurate increase in playoff odds for the Cardinals, the amount of players who could be added to the roster by August has grown.

Here are 5 players from teams on the downturn that could help the Cardinals make a playoff push.

RHP Erick Fedde

Erick Fedde is going to be a prized candidate at this trade deadline. Fresh off an impressive season in the KBO, Fedde signed a 2-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. Prior to playing in the KBO, the 31-year-old righty played for the Washington Nationals. He was primarily a starter, but he never pitched more than 133 innings in a season due to a variety of injuries to his shoulder and oblique.

Fedde has finally been able to put it all together in 2024 with the White Sox. He has thrown 58 innings as of May 24th, and he has a 3.10 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 8.07 K/9, and a 1.09 WHIP; he has a 131 ERA+ on the season as well.

As always, the Chicago White Sox are in full rebuild mode. Chris Getz, the team's general manager, has been open about his desire to rebuild and sell using the players he has left on the roster.

Fedde would slot in immediately as the #2 starter on the staff. He doesn't get many whiffs, but his fastball plays well. He doesn't walk many batters, and he limits line drives well. The Cardinals would likely have to give up a high-end pitching prospect to make the deal happen, but that shouldn't inhibit John Mozeliak from forming a potent one-two punch at the top of the rotation.