Cardinals Resurgent $15 Million Star Linked To Royals In Possible Blockbuster
Starting pitching will be an intriguing plot point to follow throughout the winter for the Kansas City Royals.
In 2024, the rotation was one of the Royals' greatest strengths. In Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha, and Brady Singer, the Royals had four dependable starters with sub-four ERA's that set the tone for Kansas City's remarkable run to the playoffs.
Counting on repeat performances from those pitchers, however, is somewhat risky. Wacha can opt out and become a free agent, Lugo and Ragans were both breakout starts, and Singer wasn't trusted enough to start a playoff game.
With that in mind, adding one more reliable starter makes sense for these Royals. Rachael Millanta of FanSided proposed that the Royals could trade for St. Louis Cardinals star Erick Fedde, who is entering the final year of team control with Kansas City's cross-state rival.
"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," Millanta said. "It's a substantially lower salary than anything the Royals would pay a top free agent (or Wacha, if he exercises his player option), and the Cardinals would likely only ask for one or two prospects in return."
Fedde, 31, had a fantastic season in 2024 after returning to Major League Baseball from Korea. He racked up 5.6 wins above replacement, sixth-most among all big-league starters, while posting a 3.30 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 31.starts between the Cardinals and Chicago White Sox.
Fedde's bargain contract makes him less likely to be moved than some of his other Cardinals teammates, like Sonny Gray or Nolan Arenado. Nevertheless, if St. Louis truly believes it is out of the hunt, trading Fedde with a full year of control could be more fruitful than waiting until midseason.
The Royals are in a better situation than most teams regarding starting rotations, but there's no guarantee things will come together in 2025 as they did next season. Adding Fedde would give the rotation its best shot at repeat success in the Royals' quest to make it deeper in October.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org