Cardinals acquire Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham in a three-team trade

The St. Louis Cardinals upgraded their starting rotation today and even added a familiar face to their outfield by acquiring White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham. In a three-team trade that included the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis sent utilityman Tommy Edman to Los Angeles, while the Dodgers sent Miguel Vargas, plus infielder prospects Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez.

Erick Fedde revamped his arsenal after pitching last season in South Korea, and the results have paid off. Fedde possessed the highest bWAR (4.6) of all Chicago White Sox pitchers and position players. In addition, Fedde has an ERA of 3.11, an ERA+ of 133, and 108 strikeouts in 121.2 innings pitched. With the Cardinals needing another starting pitcher, Fedde was on their radar as the White Sox stumble toward one of the worst seasons in MLB history.

Tommy Pham returns to St. Louis, where he debuted with the Cardinals in 2014. His best season was in 2017 when he finished 11th in the National League MVP voting, batted .306/.411/.520, and accumulated 6.2 bWAR. In 2018, the Cardinals traded Pham to Tampa Bay for Génesis Cabrera, Justin Williams, and Roel Ramírez. Since that trade, Pham has played with the Padres, Reds, Red Sox, and Mets and was on the Diamondbacks' World Series roster last year. Last offseason, he signed a free-agent deal with the Chicago White Sox. 

As my colleague Thomas Gauvain discussed yesterday, this was a rumored trade that started to develop. The Dodgers and the Yankees were interested in Tommy Edman even though he has not appeared in a game this season due to injury. Surprisingly, the Cardinals gave up only Edman and did not trade any minor-league prospects to the Dodgers or the White Sox. If that holds, that's a win for St. Louis.