Cardinals $7.5 Million Breakout Star Called Trade Option For Royals

Would the Cardinals consider a deal involving the veteran hurler?

Apr 16, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Logo on stadium seats prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals fought until the very end in 2024.

St. Louis didn't end up making the playoffs, but it wasn't from a lack of effort. The Cardinals struggled early on but pulled themselves back up. St. Louis was well below .500 at one point, but the Cardinals were able to turn things around and held a National League Wild Card spot for a while, although things didn't work out that way.

The Cardinals competed all year and even added ahead of the trade deadline, rather than selling. One player who was a solid pickup was veteran starter Erick Fedde. He had a breakout campaign and had a 3.30 ERA overall in 31 starts with the Cardinals and Chicago White Sox.

He had a 3.11 ERA in his first 21 starts with the White Sox before being moved. Before the season, he signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the White Sox after spending 2023 in South Korea. Fedde clearly found some thing and his performance completely turned around.

Fedde now is under contract for the 2025 season at $7.5 million, but he is worth much more than that now after the big season.

The Cardinals have made it known that they are looking to shed salary, and that could lead to some trades involving veterans. It could make a lot of sense to keep Fedde because of his low cost, but other teams may enticed to trade for him for that exact reason. Because of this, FanSided's Rachael Millanta floated the Kansas City Royals as a fit.

"Signing a player out of free agency isn't the only option for the Royals to acquire a top starter this offseason," Millanta said. "The St. Louis Cardinals are entering a rebuild, and as a result, newly-acquired starter Erick Fedde is likely to be available for trade — and he may not be as expensive as some would think, even after a strong 2024 campaign.

"Fedde signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Chicago White Sox before the 2024 season, setting him up to make $7.5 million in 2025. It's a substantially lower salary than anything the Royals would pay a top free agent (or Michael Wacha, if he exercises his player option), and the Cardinals would likely only ask for one or two prospects in return...The Royals are trending upwards, and Fedde appears to be as well."

Fedde will be a hot name to watch this winter.

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