Guardians Predicted to Swing Big Trade for Breakout Pitcher

The Cleveland Guardians are being predicted to complete a major trade for a breakout pitcher this MLB season.

Aug 7, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (12) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians needed pitching last season, and now, heading into the 2025 MLB campaign, they still find themselves in need of arms.

More specifically, the Guardians need help with their starting rotation, which was among the league's worst in 2024 and is once again a massive question mark in spring training.

So, what can Cleveland do to address the issue? The free-agent market has dried up, and there isn't much trade chatter going on at the moment.

Well, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller is expecting the Guardians to make a trade for a pitcher at some point, and he thinks the answer may be St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Erick Fedde.

"But if the Guardians are anywhere close to a playoff spot at the deadline, getting back Shane Bieber from Tommy John surgery and adding in an inexpensive arm like Fedde's could anchor a late push, as this is presently one of the bleakest rotations," Miller wrote.

This is hardly the first time Cleveland has been linked to Fedde, as the Guardians were rumored to be interested in him last summer before the Chicago White Sox dealt him to the Cardinals at the trade deadline. Our own Tommy Wild also recently named Fedde as a candidate for Cleveland.

Fedde owned a 5.41 ERA through the first six years of his career before breaking out last season, when he went 9-9 with a 3.30 ERA while allowing just 154 hits and registering 154 strikeouts over 177.1 innings of work between two teams.

Can the 32-year-old replicate his success in 2025? It remains to be seen, but if he does, he would certainly represent a very compelling trade target for the Guardians.

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