Don't be fooled: Cardinals best trade with White Sox doesn't involve Garrett Crochet

The first half of the 2024 MLB campaign was a story of two tales for the St. Louis Cardinals. Regardless of how it happened, they now hold the second Wild Card spot in the National League— and the July 30 trade deadline is approaching rapidly.

What will the Cardinals do? Is St. Louis' surge over the past couple of months prompting president of baseball operations John Mozeliak to scour the market?

"Finding middle-of-the-rotation depth will be a focus," Katie Woo of The Athletic reported Thursday ($). 

Per Woo, starting pitching is an area of need for the Cards that they will try to address in the coming days. However, as she points out, St. Louis has "historically refrained from trading away their developing core," complicating matters further.

The Cardinals will have limited possibilities based on the front office's unwillingness to give up significant assets. So, the club must thread the needle of landing an impactful arm that doesn't cost a substantial haul. 

With that in mind, Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated identified "the perfect target" for St. Louis: Erick Fedde of the Chicago White Sox.

McAvoy cites MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, saying the White Sox are "expected to be big sellers" before the deadline. But the buzz surrounding a Chicago hurler potentially on the move has primarily centered around All-Star southpaw Garrett Crochet. Nonetheless, Fedde is a much more realistic and fitting option for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals' best trade with the White Sox involves Erick Fedde, not Garrett Crochet

Fedde is in the midst of a breakout campaign after taking a one-year hiatus from the majors to play in Korea. He is 7-3 with a career-best 2.99 ERA (he has never posted below 4.29 in a single season), 1.132 WHIP and 99 strikeouts. Under contract through 2025, the veteran right-hander could garner interest due to the lack of hurlers available, per Feinsand.

Given the circumstances in Chicago, Fedde's contractual status and efforts this year being a statistical outlier, he presumably shouldn't take much to acquire.

Moreover, Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently labeled Fedde as the White Sox player "most likely to be traded" ($). The baseball insider named the Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves as probable landing spots, further igniting the linkage.

Fedde would solidify the Cards' staff of experienced pitchers like Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. Pulling off a deal with the White Sox for the 31-year-old righty would upgrade their roster and bolster their playoff push.