Cardinals' Erick Fedde, Steven Matz Drawing Trade Interest From Tigers, Guardians

The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians are reportedly trying to trade for veteran starting pitchers Erick Fedde and Steven Matz with the St. Louis Cardinals entering a rebuild.

Apr 23, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Steven Matz (32) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals, who have made it clear they intend to reset and rebuild in 2025, currently boast one of the oldest starting rotations in baseball – and that's not even counting 37-year-old departing free agents Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.

Miles Mikolas is 36 years old, while Sonny Gray in 35. Steven Matz and Erick Fedde are technically younger, but they are entering their age-34 and age-32 seasons, respectively.

Andre Pallante, the only homegrown pitcher of the bunch, is 26. Michael McGreevy

Top prospect Michael McGreevy made his MLB in 2024, though, and Tink Hence and Quinn Mathews could follow in his footsteps in 2025. Their collective arrivals would some of the Cardinals' veterans expendable as they try to get younger and shift their focus towards the future.

According to a report from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, John Denton and Bryan Hoch, Fedde and Matz have drawn trade interest from the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians,

St. Louis acquired Fedde from the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline. The longtime Washington Nationals righty, who spent 2023 reviving his career in Korea, finished 2024 with a 9-9 record, 3.30 ERA, 1.162 WHIP and 5.6 WAR across 31 starts.

Matz, on the other hand, was limited to seven starts and five relief appearances due to a back strain, going 1-2 with a 5.08 ERA, 1.444 WHIP and -0.2 WAR. Over his previous nine MLB seasons with the Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, Matz went 54-58 with a 4.25 ERA, 1.320 WHIP and 9.6 WAR.

Fedde and Matz are both pending free agents, with the former due $7.5 million and the latter set to make $12.5 million in 2025.

The Guardians already acquired Luis L. Ortiz in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates to make up for the departure of Matthew Boyd in free agency, but re-signed ace Shane Bieber is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. Gavin Williams and Triston McKenzie – both former first round picks – are currently in line to open the season in the rotation, but neither had a positive WAR in 2024.

Detroit has added veteran free agent Alex Cobb to reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, up-and-comer Reese Olson, top prospect Jackson Jobe, former No. 1 pick Casey Mize and Japanese old-timer Kenta Maeda. But with Mize's injuries always a concern and Maeda getting demoted to the bullpen last summer, bringing in another dependable arm would make sense.

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