The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t accomplish much last offseason. They claimed they were beginning a “reset” but didn’t clear a lot of space for their younger players, ultimately choosing to hold onto many of their veteran players.
One player that they would have been wise to trade was right-hander Erick Fedde. He is entering the final year of his contract and is only making $7.5 million this year.
This could make him an attractive trade piece at the deadline. But there are teams that could use pitching help now.
The Philadelphia Phillies will begin the season without Ranger Suarez. Drew VonScio of Newsweek proposed the idea of St. Louis sending Fedde to Philadelphia while they wait for Suarez to recover.
“There are a few reasons why this makes sense for the Phillies. First and foremost, Fedde is a cheaper option than most,” VonScio noted. “He’s entering the final year of his contract and will make $7.5 million in 2025. He posted a 3.30 ERA between the Chicago White Sox and Cardinals last year after returning from Korea. Adding him would not be too much of a financial strain for the Phillies.”
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Fedde pitched 177 1/3 innings last year with Chicago and St. Louis. The Cardinals picked him up last year at the trade deadline in a three-way deal with the South Siders and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
If the Cardinals are going to trade Fedde, they would be wise to sell high on him. Even as a back-end starter, Fedde could bring back a decent haul.
He can eat innings and fill a rotation spot for a team in need of pitching help, such as the Phillies. This would allow the Cardinals to start their rebuild and would also clear a rotation spot for Michael McGreevy, who strangely was reassigned to Triple-A Memphis to start the season.
It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals decide to do this year. They would be wise to try and find a spot for Fedde, especially with his contract expiring at the end of 2025.
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