It’s suddenly beginning to look as though the New York Yankees have a long list of action items at the trade deadline.
Though the Yankees have generally had a strong start to the season, they’ve struggled in several key areas. Third base still looks to be a problem, and they could use more right-handed hitting, but the main problem appears still to be starting pitching.
Ever since Gerrit Cole hit the injured list with a season-ending UCL tear, the rotation hasn’t been a finished product. The eventual return of Luis Gil will help, but the Yankees still need at least one more reliable innings-eater to get them through the full 162-game season.
One baseball writer believes a St. Louis Cardinals righty could be exactly the shot in the arm New York needs.
On Wednesday, Brendan Smith of FanSided named Cardinals veteran Erick Fedde as a top trade target for the Yankees to pursue before the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
“Erick Fedde, who was a hot commodity last summer, is on an expiring contract for a team, St. Louis, that will likely go nowhere,” Smith wrote. “Adept at suppressing hard contact rather than blowing hitters away, Fedde induced opponents to post a measly .306 xwOBA and .245 xBA against him last season.
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“In an ideal world, Fedde would replace one of (Marcus) Stroman, (Carlos) Carrasco or (Will) Warren at the end of the rotation after moving to St. Louis at last year’s trade deadline.”
Fedde, 32, doesn’t strike out many batters, but he typically gets you six innings per start and owns a 3.30 ERA since the start of 2024. He also has racked up 6.0 bWAR in that time frame, more than any starter on the current Yankees roster.
Starting pitching is expensive at the deadline, and Fedde’s affordable contract (he’s owed $7.5 million of the $15 million he signed for last offseason) will make him an expensive target. But the Yankees should have the motivation to be high bidders.
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