Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis has strong interest in trading for this White Sox starter
The Cardinals "have strong interest" in White Sox SP Erick Fedde, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
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The St. Louis Cardinals have explored trades for starting pitchers in the last few weeks. The Cardinals contacted the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays about a trade for starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Zach Eflin. This morning, USA Today's Bob Nightengale revealed rumors he has heard from Major League Baseball sources. In his article chapter, "Around the Basepaths," Nightengale stated that the Cardinals "have strong interest" in Erick Fedde.
The #STLCards have expressed “strong” interest in #WhiteSox SP Erick Fedde, per @BNightengale pic.twitter.com/denDRT5xiz
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) July 21, 2024
Fedde's name was previously linked to the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this month. Jim Bowden of the Athletic stated back on July 12th that three teams are interested in Fedde. Those teams were the Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Atlanta Braves.
Erick Fedde was a member of the Washington Nationals from 2017-2022, where he went 21-33 with 454.1 innings and 352 strikeouts. After spending last season in South Korea pitching for NC Dinos, Fedde returned to Major League Baseball in 2024 and has enjoyed a career year despite playing for the woebegone Chicago White Sox. Fedde has posted a 2.99 ERA, a 3.53 FIP, and 99 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, Fedde has the most WAR among all 2024 Chicago White Sox players, including Garrett Crochet, the top starting pitcher on the trade market. A trade for Erick Fedde improves a St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation that faltered as the team reached the All-Star break.
This could weigh heavily into the #STLCards thinking and plans for adding arms at the MLB Trade Deadline:
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) July 19, 2024
The Cardinals had a 5.48 starting rotation ERA over the final 25 games (T-6th worst in MLB) before the break for the MLB All-Star Game. The timeframe was June 18-July 14.
If, hypothetically, Fedde joined the Cardinals today, he would possess the best ERA among starting pitchers and the third-most strikeouts behind Sonny Gray (131) and Kyle Gibson (102). Since Feede is on a two-year contract with the White Sox, he also comes with another year of team control.
The St. Louis Cardinals need to address a starting rotation that, while improved from 2023, underperformed toward the end of the first half of the season. A rejuvenated Erick Fedde enhances the team, but the question will come down to how much the Cardinals will give up.
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