Grading a Cardinals trade that doesn't do nearly enough to give John Mozeliak job security
Don't look now, but the St. Louis Cardinals are winning games. Now above .500 on the season, 36-35, the Cards are within striking distance of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers (42-30). There is a lot of baseball left, and St. Louis' immense reserve of talent is finally starting to live up to expectations.
That's not to say the roster is perfect, of course. The Cardinals need outfield depth and help in the bullpen. The latter is probably John Mozeliak's primary focus ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, as the Cardinals sorely lack a proper fifth starter. Sonny Gray has been as dominant as advertised in the No. 1 slot, but on the whole. St. Louis' starting rotation would benefit from a facelift.
Starting pitching is at a premium in today's MLB. Teams don't give up quality starters for cheap, so St. Louis will need to mount a serious offer. As the landscape currently lies, the Cards will probably operate as buyers — not sellers — over the next several weeks. Mozeliak can feel the heat beneath his seat and St. Louis' payroll, still the MLB's 12th-highest, is indicative of an aspiring contender.
That said, it will take the right trade to truly move the needle in St. Louis. If the Cardinals dump assets for a lateral move, that will only reflect poorly on the front office. Marginal growth isn't what is needed. The Cards need to really elevate their entire staff.
A new proposal from Jim Bowden of The Athletic helps St. Louis, but maybe not enough.
Cardinals trade for White Sox ace Erick Fedde in new proposal
white sox
The Cardinals acquire immediate help in the form of Erick Fedde, who inked a two-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago White Sox last winter. The 31-year-old is an experienced MLB arm, but after several disappointing seasons, Fedde spent the 2023 campaign in Korea. The proof is in the pudding. Fedde figured out his stuff and returned to American soil with a whole new approach.
Fedde has been Chicago's best starter by a wide margin, posting a 5-1 record in 15 starts with a 3.09 ERA and 1.138 WHIP. A deadly sinker leads Fedde's four-pitch arsenal, which encourages a high ground-ball rate (48.6%, in the 76th percentile) and keeps batters guessing. He has 83 strikeouts in 87.1 innings, while only ceding 23 bases on balls.
Fedde would slot in comfortably behind Gray as the Cards' No. 2 ace. He absolutely helps the Cardinals' pursuit of a Wild Card spot, which is going quite strong at the moment. The question is, does a 1.5-season rental and maybe a Wild Card berth save Mozeliak's job? Does it keep Oli Marmol off the chopping block? That much is less certain.
The Cards aren't getting Fedde for free. Cooper Hjerpe, 23, is a former first-round pick, while Gordon Graceffo, 24, is right on the MLB doorstep. The White Sox get six-plus years of team control over two talented prospects, all without much risk in the standings (it can't get worse). Chicago is in sell, sell, sell mode. The Cards can take advantage, but there's a fine line between capitalizing on an opportunity and mortgaging the future for an overachieving vet.
Fedde was disappointing for years at the MLB level before he landed in Chicago. Obviously he has made considerable strides, but he's also pitching in a relatively stress-free environment. The White Sox are the worst team in baseball. Fedde is playing with house money. In St. Louis, he would face added pressure on a big-market team with postseason aspirations.
The fact that he's under contract through next season, and thus a little more than your standard rental, helps. But Fedde is on the tail end of his prime, having a season that currently profiles as a fluke in the grand scheme of his career. If the White Sox get two replacement-level MLB pitchers out of this deal in the long run, that is a win for them. If the White Sox win the deal, well, there generally has to be a loser.
This is not a bad deal for St. Louis, but it would be best paired with another high-profile addition that really proves Mozeliak's commitment to winning in October.
Cardinals grade: C+
White Sox grade: B
Next. 3 Cardinals trade packages to overtake Brewers in NL Central. 3 Cardinals trade packages to overtake Brewers in NL Central. dark
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