Grading a Cardinals trade for the fifth starter they desperately need
By Curt Bishop
The St. Louis Cardinals may have flipped the script on their season and transformed themselves into buyers after being considered sellers for much of the first half.
But if they're going to buy, they're going to need another starter for their rotation, which has performed mostly well but could use a bit of a boost.
Fortunately, the trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Cardinals are playing a lot better baseball, which could open the door for such a move. Perhaps they could give the Chicago White Sox a call about one of their starters.
Garrett Crochet is unlikely, but Chicago has another arm that is producing quite well this season. Erick Fedde was signed to a two-year contract after spending time in South Korea.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic proposed the idea of St. Louis acquiring Fedde in exchange for pitching prospects Cooper Hjerpe and Gordon Graceffo.
Grading a potential Cardinals-White Sox deadline swap
Cardinals-White Sox
The Cardinals are always high on their prospects, and the White Sox would be getting two solid prospects in exchange for Fedde. Bowden notes that the South Siders would have them for at least six more years. On the other hand, Fedde would have just one more year of control.
Still, this would get the Cardinals what they need to fill out the final spot in their rotation, though fans would probably prefer a bigger move. But Fedde is 5-1 with an ERA of 3.09 this season and has been one of Chicago's most dependable starters. That is something that could give St. Louis a better chance to contend for a Wild Card spot and reach the postseason.
The White Sox would be receiving two young, high-upside arms with several years of club control, so this is a good deal for them. The deal would help the Cardinals out too, but again, fans likely are going to prefer a bigger move than this. The team hasn't been to the World Series since 2013, much less won a playoff series since 2019.
We'll see if this trade comes to pass.
White Sox trade grade: A
Cardinals trade grade: B-
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