Royals Could Target Cardinals Veteran To Replace Starter Opting Out
The Kansas City Royals are two wins away from a trip to the American League Championship series. They are tied at a game apiece with the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
Regardless of how things end up this October for the Royals, the 2024-25 offseason should be a busy one, as they'll have some holes to fill.
Right-hander Michael Wacha, who is set to take the ball in Game 4 on Thursday, is likely to opt out of his contract with Kansas City and return to the free agent pool.
To replace him, the Royals could potentially target right-hander Erick Fedde, who is a trade candidate as the St. Louis Cardinals enter a rebuild.
Fedde likely won't cost too much. He's a veteran starter coming off a career year and is set to make just $7.5 million in 2025. His value isn't going to be extremely high despite his solid campaign.
But this is a move the Royals can afford to make. They could send a prospect or two back to St. Louis in the deal and have somebody that can fill the hole in the rotation that will be left by Wacha's possible departure.
The 31-year-old right-hander went 9-9 in 31 starts with the Cardinals and Chicago White Sox, posting a 3.30 ERA over 177 1/2 innings of work while striking out 154 batters and posting a 1.16 WHIP.
It will be interesting to see if the Royals try to target Fedde. While the Cardinals are trending downwards, Kansas City is trending upwards.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.