Getty Erick Fedde
One of the few guarantees this far from the trade deadline is that the league-worst Chicago White Sox will be sellers. With a paltry 19 wins, Chicago is expected to field offers for some of its higher-end talent, including pitcher Erick Fedde, and the St. Louis Cardinals might be a perfect.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden proposed a trade in a story published Monday, June 17 that would send Fedde to St. Louis in exchange for minor league pitchers, lefty Cooper Hjerpe and right-hander Gordon Graceffo.
Of course, this depends on the Cardinals, in fact, buying at the trade deadline, which this no guarantee. St. Louis comes into play on June 17 with a .500 record, though they are on track for a Wild Card berth in a National League plagued by mediocrity after the top few teams.
Bowden wrote last week that he thinks the Cardinals should sell at the deadline, but said on Monday that they “seem committed to being buyers.” And as buyers, St. Louis could help itself this year and next. Fedde is under contract for 2025 as well at $7,500,000 — a bargain compared to the numbers he’s posted this year.
Erick Fedde Has Rejuvenated His Career
Make no mistake, Fedde could help any Major League team. The 31-year-old has revived his career after a season in South Korea where he won the KBO’s pitching triple crown.
Fedde had a career 5.41 ERA before the Nationals non-tendered him in 2022. From there, he moved to Arizona to spend time training with an instructor named Andrew Amato, at the recommendation of former teammate Sean Doolittle. As Tyler Kepner of The Athletic reported, Amato helped him lower his arm angle. Major Leaguer Logan Webb helped him with his changeup and Shelby Miller helped him with his sweeper.
“The belief [now is] that I can throw any pitch over the zone and there’s a good chance they’re probably not looking for it, because I have so many weapons,” Fedde told Kepner.
His new arsenal helped him lower his walk rate from 4.1 with the Nationals to 1.7 in Korea. It has carried over stateside. Through 15 starts with the White Sox, Fedde is walking 2.4 per nine innings and striking out 8.6, up from 6.7 in 2022. It’s all added up to a 3.09 ERA and 1.168 WHIP.
“I think if I could go back, it would be, ‘Why did you wait until you got non-tendered to make a big change?’” Fedde added. “Maybe I’m kicking myself that I didn’t try to improve the arsenal or get myself in the best situation possible in 2020 versus 2022.”
How Fedde Fits With the Cardinals
Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, Miles Mikolas and Lance Lynn are all rotation fixtures and they’re all in their mid-to-late 30s. Gray is having the best season among them with a 3.01 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Gibson has been solid as well, but overall, the rotation just needs more depth.
Fedde could add just that, giving Oliver Marmol some options to work with once Steven Matz returns from injury.
With the Cardinals likely headed for a Wild Card series if they do, in fact, make the playoffs, a rotation of Gray, Gibson, and Fedde in whatever order would be effective, but it probably wouldn’t be enough.
The Cardinals rank in the lower third of the National League in most standard offensive categories. If they’re really going to go for it and make a run at Fedde, a move for another bat would make sense.
Why insist on being buyers at the deadline if you’re not going to go all out?