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Grading the St. Louis Cardinals' 2024 trade deadline moves
The Cardinals filled all their "needs" at the trade deadline. But how well did they do?
The trade deadline is over and the St. Louis Cardinals have made two trades addressing three needs John Mozeliak promised to fill: a right-handed bat who can play center field, a starting pitcher, and a reliever. How did he do? Did the Cardinals make the correct trades to push for a playoff spot while not giving up too much of their future? Let's grade these two trades:
Three-team trade: Cardinals acquire Tommy Pham and Erick Fedde, Dodgers acquire Tommy Edman and Oliver Gonazlez
Tommy Pham sure knows how to make an impression, huh? In his first plate appearance back in Cardinal red, the veteran outfielder smashed an opposite-field grand slam to break open the game, giving St. Louis an 8-1 lead over Texas. He was brought in to fix the team's glaring weakness against left-handed pitching, and he sure delivered. However, if he keeps this production up, the fiery veteran could find himself in the lineup every day.
Erick Fedde also proves to be a great starting pitcher to pair with Sonny Gray at the head of the Cardinals' rotation. The Cardinals needed another frontline starter to contend in a postseason series, and Fedde may be just that. Since returning from the KBO as a transformed pitcher, Fedde has been fantastic recording an ERA of 3.11 and accruing the second-most wins above replacement in the American League among starting pitchers (behind Tarik Skubal).
While not the flashiest name, Fedde certainly gets the job done. Considering the names teams had to give up for starters like Yusei Kikuchi and Trevor Rogers, surely St. Louis gave up a haul to get a much bigger name in Erick Fedde, right? Not at all.
The Los Angeles Dodgers wanted Tommy Edman and gave the White Sox all the established prospects in this deal. Sure, LA got Michael Kopech in return from Chicago as well, but all the Cardinals had to give up was a DSL prospect and Tommy Edman. While Edman is extremely talented, there was no clear spot to put him upon his eventual return from the injured list. He's much more valuable to the Dodgers than he is to the Cardinals.
Grade: A+. Mo masterclass. I'll carry Mo's water up a mountain and back.
Cardinals acquire Shawn Armstrong, Rays acquire Dylan Carlson
Once Dylan Carlson botched a play in extra innings giving the Washington Nationals a series win over this past weekend, the writing was on the wall. Carlson needed to be moved at the trade deadline for a change of scenery. While rumors swirled around the Nationals and Angels with relief arms Dylan Floro and old friend Luis Garcia on the trade block, the Cardinals pivoted to a different route, getting Shawn Armstrong from the Tampa Bay Rays.
At this point, Dylan Carlson's breakout after leaving St. Louis would be all too predictable. Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia, Lane Thomas, and Tyler O'Neill are all examples of what Dylan Carlson could eventually become, and he has the most prospect pedigree of the bunch. However, trading Carlson to Tampa Bay, an organization notorious for taking forgotten talent and turning it into superstar talent, is quite the risk. Moreover, Shawn Armstrong isn't the greatest name either.
He was fantastic last year, recording a 1.38 ERA through 52 innings, but he's completely reversed roles at age 33 with a 5.40 ERA this year. While his strikeout rate still remains high, his walk rate has nearly doubled. For a team dealing with walk troubles recently, Armstrong might not be the best fit for the bullpen when other teams were willing to part with arguably more intriguing options.
Obviously, Dylan Carlson at this point in his career would only net a mid-tier reliever like the Cardinals got, but with the needs of the team, it may have been better to make a different move with multiple other parties interested. Mozeliak will certainly get flack if Carlson turns it around with the Rays, but he'll get much more if Armstrong turns out to be a liability in the pen.
Grade: B. It's risky to trade with the Rays, but it's not a bad move.
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