Ex-Cardinals Pitcher Under Fire; Blamed For St. Louis' Disastrous Season

Erick Fedde didn't do the Cardinals any favors in 2025...

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Erick Fedde (59) watches a two-run home run by Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Blaze Alexander (9) during the sixth inning of their game Wednesday, August 27, 2025 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals had quite the disappointing season.

Rather than committing to a rebuild or contending for a postseason spot, the Cardinals sat somewhere in the middle. Their young talent didn't grow and develop like they would have wanted, either. All in all, it was a disaster.

J.T. Buchheit of Redbird Rants recently pushed some of the blame for the Cardinals' bad season on former pitcher Erick Fedde. Fedde spent the first half of the season with the Cardinals before being moved to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations.

Erick Fedde is partially to blame for Cardinals' horrible season

Jul 22, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (12) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"According to an article from FanGraphs, Fedde's arm angle changed slightly in 2025, which modified the shape of his pitches and led him to be smacked around. His cut fastball was especially ineffective: Opponents hit .322 and slugged .565 against the pitch during Fedde's Cardinals tenure this year," Buchheit wrote. "The disastrous performance of the rotation in July led the Cardinals to keep upstart prospect Michael McGreevy in their staff and consider going to a six-man rotation, but the front office nixed that idea when they designated Fedde for assignment.

"Fedde's meltdown caused the Cardinals to spiral out of serious postseason consideration as the trade deadline neared, and his issues were a major reason for the Cardinals' decision to punt on the season and sell their assets while unloading Fedde for almost nothing. Had the Cardinals pulled the plug on Fedde earlier instead of holding on to their belief that he would figure things out, it's worth wondering if they'd be in a playoff position as the season nears the end."

Fedde handicapped the Cardinals for half a season. He wasn't a competitive pitcher down the stretch and the Cardinals continued to run him out their every fifth day.

If St. Louis would have had a league average pitcher in Fedde's spot, there's a chance they could have bought at the trade deadline and squeaked into the postseason, especially considering it only took 83 wins for the Cincinnati Reds to land the final wild card spot.

The Cardinals ended up making the right decision by trading Fedde, but it was too late. They opted for a rebuild instead of staying young and competing. Fedde's disastrous year hurt the Cardinals more than helped.

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