Tigers, Guardians 'Have Inquired About' Trading For Pair Of Cardinals Hurlers

St. Louis is receiving interest from the American League Central

Apr 16, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals scoreboard as a plane passes by during the seventh inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals entered this offseason prepared to be active in the trade market but they haven't yet been able to make a deal.

In a failed attempt to unload Nolan Arenado's contract from the payroll, the Cardinals attempted to trade their superstar third baseman to the Houston Astros but the 10-time Gold Glove defender blocked the deal with his no-trade clause.

Trading Arenado could be difficult but perhaps the Cardinals will trade a pair of veteran starting pitchers this offseason to help with their rebuilding efforts.

"The (Cleveland) Guardians and (Detroit) Tigers have inquired about Erick Fedde and Steven Matz," MLB.com's John Denton wrote Thursday when discussing his predictions for the Cardinals 2025 season.

This isn't the first time the Guardians and Tigers have been linked to Matz and Fedde as potential landing spots for the Cardinals starters. Both clubs could use the veteran leadership as they gear for another deep playoff run in 2025.

Fedde has one year and $7.5 million remaining on his contract, while Matz also has one year but with $12.5 million. Eliminating their salaries from the Cardinals' payroll would give younger guys such as Tink Hence, Quinn Matthews, Michael McGreevy and even Gordon Graceffo a better chance to make their names known.

Although trading Fedde and Matz would be great for clearing two rotation spots, the Cardinals might want to retain some veteran leadership.

Ideally, the Cardinals trade Matz and retain Fedde for another season to see if he continues his 2024 success into next year. He'd be an excellent influence for the younger pitchers and could help ace Sonny Gray at the front of the rotation.

More MLB: Cardinals Receiving Strong Trade Interest For $80M All-Star From Pair Of Contenders