Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Made 'Major Mistake' With $15 Million Starter, Per MLB Writer

Did the Cardinals make the right call?
Patrick McAvoy|
Aug 15, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed view of a baseball glove and St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout during the game between the Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Aug 15, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed view of a baseball glove and St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout during the game between the Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had a long offseason of trade rumors and speculation but very little actual movement on that front.

St. Louis didn't "reset" the organization in the way the team initially likely expected. The Cardinals made it sound like big changes were on the way, but no-trade clauses for guys like Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, and Willson Contreras seemingly made the team go in a different direction.

One guy who was in trade rumors a lot was veteran starter Erick Fedde. He signed a two-year, $15 million deal last year with the Chicago White Sox and was traded to St. Louis last summer. He didn't have a no-trade clause this past summer, but the Cardinals opted to keep him. FanSided's Josh Jacobs made a list of three players whose trade value has gone up and two that have gone down. He said Fedde's value has gone down and said it was a "major mistake" the club didn't move him.

"I hate to say I told you so, but I, along with others, was clamoring for the Cardinals to trade Erick Fedde all offseason," Jacobs said. "So while I'm not going to say that to any of you, I'll gladly tell the Cardinals "I told you so" until proven otherwise. I am not an Erick Fedde 'hater.' I actually think he is a pretty good pitcher. I liked the trade for him last deadline. I think he's a valuable player on the contract he is on. All of those things can be true, and I can also believe it was a major mistake for the Cardinals not to trade him this offseason.

"Fedde, in his return to Major League Baseball after a brief stint in the KBO, was one of the more valuable starters in baseball last year, starting 31 games while posting a 3.30 ERA in the process. Making just $7.5 million a year, he provided the White Sox and Cardinals so much more value than what some free agents from this past offseason produced who got $20 million dollar annual values to show for it."

This is pretty fair. Fedde has a 4.68 ERA in six starts so far this season.

More MLB: Cardinals Flamethrower Going Back To Minors After Monumental Night

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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