5 ways the Cardinals can acquire a starting pitcher and reliever in the same deal

Trade #3 - Chicago White Sox

This would not be as fun or as flashy of a trade as the first two, but Erick Fedde and John Brebbia would fill the needs that the Cardinals have in their rotation and bullpen, but probably come at a lower cost.

I tend to try and "overpay" compared to what fans may think a package would take, as most often times it does take more than we would imagine, and this seller's market is definitely not going to help keep the price of pitching down. Feede has been great in his return to Major League Baseball this year, posting a 2.98 ERA in 117.2 innings pitched for the White Sox, and will be an arm in high demand.

Fedde uses a four-pitch mix to navigate his starts, with his cutter, sinker, and sweeper yielding the most results. Fedde induces a lot of weak contact and ground balls, so he is not going to wow you with strikeout stuff but he will get outs at a high level. While many fans look at his track record and are immediately out on Fedde, the right-handed made substantial changes to his arsenal and is a completely different pitcher than the one who first debuted in 2017.

Fedde is also under contract for 2025 at just $7.5 million, an absolute bargain for a number three starter type with number two upside. If the Cardinals want to make a rotation upgrade without breaking the bank prospects wise, Fedde may be their best bet.

Brebbia is a familiar face for Cardinals fans and has been oddly effective for Chicago despite what his 5.22 ERA would tell you. On the season, Brebbia has a 3.12 FIP and 29.5% strikeout percentage, and his walk rate is below his career average. An extremely high .352 BABIP seems to be playing into his lack of success, as almost everything in his profile suggests more success.

Grabbing Fedde and Brebbia would be a solid deadline haul for this pitching staff, and shouldn't require more than someone like Saggese to headline the package. Dylan Carlson gets a chance of scenery in this deal as well, something the White Sox can afford to take a flyer on, and Sem Robberse can fill innings for them in the second half as they see if he has a future in their rotation.

I could see the price point here being a bit higher honestly, but I think this is probably the ballpark we are looking at. While I prefer other deals for the Cardinals, I do think this makes them a better team and gives them a quality rotation option for 2025 as well.