Winners of 10 of their past 14 games, things have been going well for a St. Louis Cardinals squad that continues to overachieve this season. However, the same cannot be said for a member of the team's starting pitching group: Erick Fedde.
Fedde's 2025 MLB campaign has been turbulent, constantly following up solid performances with less-than-stellar outings, to put it mildly. St. Louis' deflating 7-0 series-opening loss to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night was one of the rough days at the office; he got lit up, to put it bluntly.
In five innings of work against the Pirates, Fedde allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs, walking three batters and striking out nine. Pittsburgh, one of baseball's worst offenses, did most of its damage in the fifth inning, putting a six-spot on the board. Showings like this make you wonder how the Cardinals ended up here with the right-hander, who they could've (and probably should've) dealt by now.
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Erick Fedde getting rocked by Pirates reminds Cardinals of front office malpractice
Why did the Cardinals give up veteran utility man Tommy Edman, the reigning NLCS MVP, for Fedde at last year's trade deadline? Or why didn't they move the hurler this past offseason, when he presumably had considerably more value than he does today? President of baseball operations John Mozeliak and his advisor/successor-in-waiting, Chaim Bloom, must eventually provide answers.
Can the Cards even get anything for Fedde ahead of the upcoming July 31 cutoff point to strike a deal now? He has a fine, albeit uninspiring 4.56 ERA, but everything else about his pitching profile is one giant red flag. Moreover, the 32-year-old is on an expiring contract, meaning front offices will likely view him as a rental.
Nonetheless, even if Fedde's struggles with consistency weren't an issue, parting ways with Edman was a mistake. The latter's defensive versatility and blend of power and speed at the plate unlock lineup creativity and enable him to impact winning in several ways. Just ask the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
It took four months for the Dodgers to see Edman's worth. They signed him to a five-year, $74 million contract extension last offseason. You probably messed up if a well-oiled organization like L.A. wasted no time securing the player they acquired from you to a long-term deal.
Meanwhile, Fedde has had his lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.4) since 2020 this season. His lack of command and inability to overpower batters have been apparent. Just as it felt like the Cardinals were taking two steps forward, they've taken one step back with him.