Inside The Cardinals

Dodgers, Red Sox Urged To 'Beware' Of Cardinals Trade Chip

The Dodgers and Red Sox need to trade for starting pitching, but they should avoid one Cardinals star.
Zach Pressnell|
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsLos Angeles DodgersCleveland GuardiansBoston Red Sox

Erick Fedde is going to be one of the better trade chips for the St. Louis Cardinals if they opt to sell this season.

The starting pitching market is typically rather hot at the trade deadline, and it should be the same this season, if not hotter.

Fedde has been a reliable option during the last year and a half in the big leagues and he's on an expiring contract.

Cody Williams of FanSided acknowledged the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Guardians, and Boston Red Sox as potential suitors for Fedde, but urged them to beware of the righty.

"Fedde has continued to be solid with his overall numbers, posting a 3.54 ERA (second best in the Cardinals rotation) with a 1.30 WHIP. What jumps off the page with Baseball Savant, however, is that he's sitting with an expected ERA at 5.28 this season, 1.74 points higher than the actual mark," Williams wrote. "With the contact he's giving up and the situations he's found himself in, he's simply not been as good as his current ERA would suggest. His stuff likely isn't going to tick up meaningfully to change that, which means any team pursuing him should expect him to not be as strongly impactful as he has been.

"Buyers that should beware: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Dodgers"

Fedde is certainly a bit of a question mark. All of the underlying numbers indicate he's gotten lucky with the batted balls in play over the last year and a half, but with so much consistent production, it's hard to consider it all luck.

The Cardinals will likely look to shop Fedde and they'll likely find a deal for him. But he wouldn't be much of an upgrade for the Red Sox, Guardians, or Dodgers.

More MLB: MLB Writer Ready To Panic Over Struggling Cardinals

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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