Ranking the Cardinals' 6 most valuable trade assets they can sell at the deadline

6. Erick Fedde

At this point, the Cardinals would be lucky to get anything for Erick Fedde at this trade deadline, but they seem prepared to wait things out and see if they can squeeze any value out of him.

During the offseason, teams were interested in acquiring Fedde because of how productive he had been in 2024 and the very affordable $7.5 million contract he is on. Fedde posted a 3.30 ERA in 31 starts last year, covering 177.1 innings of work. His xERA (3.91) and FIP (3.86) were solid marks as well, and Fedde really appeared to be a transformed pitcher from his time in Korea.

The Cardinals should have taken advantage of that value during the winter, but instead, they held onto him, and it really has backfired.

In 19 starts for St. Louis this year, Fedde has a 4.83 ERA, averaging about five innings per start, striking out just 13.5% of the batters he faces, and walking a career-high 10.7% of those hitters as well. Even while allowing just a .279 BABIP, he still has a 5.68 xERA and 4.95 FIP, showing just how far of a fall-off he has had.

Fedde may get a start or two before the deadline hits, and if he's able to stabilize a bit, maybe he'll be someone that a contender wants just to cover innings down the stretch. If not, I guess I could see a team take a flier on him for a bare minimum return so the Cardinals can move off of his remaining salary and make room for Michael McGreevy to start.

Otherwise, Fedde is a likely DFA candidate when the deadline passes, as he no longer serves a purpose on this roster other than trying to bring the Cardinals back value. The Cardinals would just cross their fingers that someone picks up his salary, and if not, oh well.

I really don't see Fedde being worth anything by the time the deadline is here next Thursday, and that is such a shame. Much of the fanbase could see that coming from a mile away. But between now and July 31st, those same fans should be hoping Fedde goes out and shoves every time he takes the mound, and it is the only way he can muster any value for the club in a deal.