11:22am: The Cardinals have announced the moves.
11:17am: The Cardinals have designated struggling right-hander Erick Fedde for assignment, reports Katie Woo of The Athletic. Right-hander Andre Granillo is being recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot on the roster, MLB.com’s John Denton adds.
A year ago, the resurgent Fedde was one of the most sought-after arms on the trade market. A former first-round pick and top prospect with the Nationals, he’d struggled for several injury-marred years in the majors before reinventing himself with an MVP-winning season in the Korea Baseball Organization. The White Sox signed him to a two-year, $15MM contract and received excellent value, as Fedde posted a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts for them before being traded in a three-team deal that brought Miguel Vargas and prospects Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez. The Cardinals parted ways with utilityman Tommy Edman.
Fedde was solid but not quite as effective for the Cardinals down the stretch. Heading into the 2025 season, his $7.5MM salary looked like a bargain after he’d posted a combined 3.30 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate in 177 1/3 innings between St. Louis and Chicago. With the Cardinals announcing an intent to take a step back to focus on player development and give young players an opportunity, Fedde looked like an obvious offseason trade candidate.
Instead, St. Louis wound up holding onto Fedde in hopes of getting some first-half innings and flipping him at the deadline. It now represents a missed opportunity. The Cards still have five days to trade him for a nominal return, but the legitimate trade value that Fedde had in the offseason has dried up with a shaky season that’s had a few highlights but far more low points.
Even early in the season, when Fedde was sporting a solid earned run average, his rate stats told another story. The right-hander’s strikeout rate has plummeted this season, while his walk rate has crept up. Fedde was masterful in a May 9 shutout of the Nationals, wherein he allowed just six hits and no walks against eight punchouts. He followed that with 5 2/3 shutout frames against a tough Phillies lineup, albeit with four walks against three strikeouts.
Much of the season has been a tightrope walk for Fedde due to his worsened command and diminished ability to miss bats, but the wheels really came off beginning in late June. Fedde served up seven runs in back-to-back starts on June 25 and 30. His results have only worsened since. Over his past five starts, he’s been shelled for 26 runs on 33 hits and 11 walks with only eight strikeouts through 17 2/3 innings.
Fedde is being paid $7.5MM this season. He still has about $2.7MM of that sum yet to be paid out. No team is going to claim his salary if he’s placed on waivers. The Cardinals will have five days to try to trade him, though they’ve presumably already been looking for matches and haven’t lined up on anything. If they’re willing to eat the rest of that salary, perhaps a team will take a low-risk flier on Fedde, but there’s a real chance he’ll simply be released. At that point, he’d be free to sign with any team and would only cost his new club the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the major league roster.
With Fedde out the door, the Cardinals will clear a permanent rotation spot for prospect Michael McGreevy. The 2021 first-rounder has pitched 28 1/3 MLB frames this year and logged a 3.49 ERA with a minuscule 2.7% walk rate. McGreevy’s 15.2% strikeout rate is one of the lowest in baseball, although he’s punched out 25.5% of his Triple-A opponents, so there’s clear upside for more missed bats. Add in that he’s also sporting a tidy 4.9% walk rate in Memphis, and it’s not hard to see why St. Louis is keen on getting him a look. The hope had been to trade Fedde for some minor league talent but that seems quite unlikely given the extent of the veteran’s struggles.
Someone’s gonna get a good deal on him.
Yes–a team in the Mexican League.
He did throw well for the Chisox last year. I haven’t seen enough to say what any team picking him up, should expect.
BUT, there isn’t any SP that seems likely to be traded, that seems worthy of what their current team, apparently is asking for in return. Teams will be taking chances on guys who aren’t much better than Fedde.
You allow Micky Moniak to lead off with a home run Amador to smoke a ball into the gap and Ryan McMahon to hit a three run home run it makes Tommy Edman look really good
Someone is gonna get a super good deal on him, if anyone even calls
To be fair, Moniak is having a very good year, especially lately, and even McMahon is on pace for 26 home runs.
But yeah, giving up all of the hits he did, notably the one to Amador, doesn’t look good even in Coors Field.
Mickey Moniak has the highest OPS in the NL since the beginning of June. Ryan McMahon has 3 homers in 5 games since the ASG. Amador is a former top prospect back from a AAA reset that is trying to prove he belongs in the big leagues. That usually equates at least short term success in the beginning . You have to look at the whole story and not just the team’s record.
Moniak killed that ball… I didnt mean it as a dis on him, more or less feddes inability to play good baseball. The whole comment was scarastic but even if it was slapping a dead rotten fish in the face that wouldn’t come though typed words
Yes Tommy Edman is killing it with that .223 average.
He’ll go to the dodgers and become a superstar again
Based on this season, if he goes to the Dodgers he may get injured.
The Mets and Astros combined make up the highest total of players on the IL.
How do you “get a good deal” on terrible?
He’s the type of pitcher you want in AAA in case of an emergency down the stretch, with the hopes you can fix/rejuvenate him
Looks like last year’s 3-way Sox trade with STL and LAD not so bad after all!
You wouldn’t be able to tell by seeing where the Sox are in the standings.
I’m ok with Fedde, just as long as the Martian stays put. The Pirates can keep Keller and Hayes now.
Welcome to Atlanta
Most teams are looking for a good pitcher, rather than a good deal.
Bros only good with the white Sox
Hallelujah!!! Now DFA MO.
He’s getting DFAed at the end of the year
DFR. Designated for Retirement
I read DFR as damn f-ing right!
ATL needs some garbage time pitchers. Trotting out Davis Daniel ain’t a good look.
Was hoping Davis would work out for you guys. I interviewed him at the A and AA levels when he was here.
Good dude, from the South, could’ve been a good story.
I was really hoping he worked out just because I’m an auburn fan and a braves fan. Hoping we have another tim hudson laying around somewhere one day lol
@Braves_saints — Blake Burkhalter likes this comment.
You think we’ll get to see him this year? He’s been doing pretty good down on the farm, and I’ve heard good things about him, but we’ve also got waldrep who has been a lot better his past few starts who I assume would be next in line for a call up, then JR Ritchie is doing good as well. Think it’s about time we start developing some hitters. At least one of those 3 will be a good major leaguer, not to mention all the other pitchers they have that can show out including fuentes, who I think will be really good if we haven’t destroyed his confidence and development!
@Halos — We get cast aside Canning only for him to get an opportunity with NYM, but we keep Daniel. We trade Caleb Durbin for Lucas Luetge (!) years ago, yet we arguably need both MI positions (Allen, Albies). smh
AA is not undefeated.
Cutting Canning was odd. Players usually improve when they leave here.
“From the South” may make him lose his fingers.
Read Roald Dahl’s “Man From the South” for the scoop.
Looked it up and read it. Wow.
Thanks for that.
The Braves sure do need quantity innings and getting them for league minimum might not be a turrible idea.
I think someone will pick him up and see if they can fix him.
After he clears. I doubt any team wants his remaining salary as his peripherals are down.
It’s possible the cardinals cover his salary and work out a trade with a team, but that does depend on the willingness of the front office to cover money. Unlikely with how uptight they were either salary this offseason
Why unlikely? If they’re going to be on the hook for salary anyway, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t cover it for some sort of return.
They wouldn’t take his remaining actual salary, they would take the prorated league minimum.
Can you fix terminal mediocrity? Fedde has been given ample opportunity, and now at 32, to provide consistent numbers, but he just doesn’t seem able to do that. His destiny is as a useful but not always reliable middle reliever and spot starter. Or back to Korea, where he is a star.
Looks like the White Sox didn’t really get fleeced for Fedde, after all.
I know he’s not having a great season but did not expect the Cardinals to DFA him. Every team should be looking to get him, there’s a chance he can rebound to his 2024 self.
He been getting absolutely destroyed. Look at the box scores from the last two months. It’s really bad.
He’ll get some spring invites to see what he’s got left, but otherwise, I don’t see what use he is for anyone this season.
He was a pretty good pitcher last year, it’s baffling how badly he’s doing this year.
Yeah, when a ground ball pitcher can’t spot his pitches on the edges, bad things happen. That’s what we’ve been seeing, unfortunately.
Not really. His 2024 was all smoke and mirrors. His home/road splits were pretty wide last year. Rate Field in Chicago is an extreme pitchers park and his numbers there showed that. Busch is much more neutral, yet with a massive outfield. It was pretty easy to see him returning to what he had always been.
His babip this year and last year is in the .270 range, well below league average. For a soft tossing pitcher thats barely ever gets ground balls his era should be way higher in 2024 and 2025.
The Cardinals got absolutely bent over in that trade
At the price and length of the contract, he was worth a look. Just didn’t work out.
Taking a chance on Fedde at the time was understandable. Giving up Edman in the process is awful
On a pure value standpoint, yes, but they don’t have anywhere to play Edman, anyway.
3 guys. 3 dfas
There’s 5 worse Cardinals trades than this one in the past 10 years.
Edman wouldn’t have gotten us into the playoffs last season and he was a free agent after last year. Sure, the Dodgers extended him but there’s no guarantee the Cardinals would’ve. Sure the Cardinals could’ve given him a qualifying offer for either 1 more year of Edman or the draft pick if someone signed him.
No, Edman had one remaining year of team control. However, the Cardinals had nowhere to play him this year, especially after failing to trade Arenado.
He would’ve been useful playing OF vs. LHP, but that would’ve cut even further into the playing time for Walker, Scott, and Gorman as they’re trying to figure out what they have with those guys, and I don’t think Edman himself would’ve been happy as little more than a short-side platoon player.
Cutting into Walker and Gormans playing time would have made the team better. The 2025 team would have been better with Edman instead of Fedde but some of that is hindsight. Most people expected Fedde to pitch better than he has in 2025.
No Vaseline either.
Fedde sent packing
He’s cooked, at least as a SP.
Wow, the White Sox didn’t do the worst job with a player. I’m shocked!
Getz did a good job signing last offseason and trading him when he had value. One of the more shrewd signings from the White Sox front office.
You mean the only “shrewd signing” from the Woe Sox FO.
I thought this would be a slam-dunk signing for a team looking for an innings eater. But, wow, look at those BB-K trends – they’re converging around 5 per 9 innings!! He’s probably worse than a AAA pitcher, but due $5.5 miill.. for the rest of the season. Hard pass!
He’s owed $2.5m at this point. But he’s not even worth that after what he’s done for the last two months.
Please tell me that Miles Mikolas is next!
Then MO and owners! Tear it down.
Yes please!!!!
With Fedde someone might take him and save the team some money. Mikolas is too overpaid for that. Both need to go thats for sure.
All expiring contracts should go..
Hold your Clydesdales. They’ve got another game against the pitiful Rockies this afternoon and then a 4-game series at home against a direct Wild Card competitor in the Padres. We’ll see where they are in the standings after that.
We’ll see. He bought himself some time with that really good start two starts ago, and they don’t have another McGreevy ready to move right into the rotation.
Maybe they could move Matz back into the rotation, but they’d have to build him back up while weakening the bullpen, or maybe Matz gets traded next week if the Cardinals fall too far out of the playoff race by then.
Matthews could go into the rotation. Or Roby. Most teams let their top pitching prospects play when they are ready. The Cardinals need to get back to doing this.
Neither of those guys are ready yet. Mathews only has 12 starts in AAA with a 4.47 ERA. Roby is even less experienced in AAA with just 6 starts for a 4.02 ERA.
If anyone in the AAA rotation would get the next shot after McGreevy, it would be Graceffo.
Most teams dont leave their prospects in AAA year after year. I bet either of them are better than Mikolas or Fedde. You disagree?
AAA is no longer a place for prospects. It’s were you stash guys for short term injury depth, rehab assignments and retread projects. A prospect is not required to play a full season in AAA or play at all in AAA anymore. I like when clubs jump the player from AA when he’s on a heater rather than bump them up to never will’s league. The sooner the Cardinals realize that, the sooner they can figure out how to develop.
Roby is also injured again.
Been saying this a long time now, AA is usually where the stiffest competition is. Now some teams still give their prospects an extended run in AAA so it’s true some AAA games will be more challenging then AA but lots of good prospects either come straight from AA or only get a cup of coffee in AAA provided they are producing. I’m a Mets fan and some guys they’ve kept at AAA with great results longer then I’d expect when they had a need on the MLB team but then some of their best prospects have been producing in AA for a long time with no call up, I think they have a different plan for every prospect and maybe a philosophy position wise.
Yankees should take the grab him once he clears and send him straight to the pitching lab. After schlittler it’s winans then nothing for depth.
@Sorinotsori
Sure, but the Yankees need to work on their hitting lab. Everyone trying to replicate Judge’s swing isn’t really working for them. And those torpedo bats aren’t working anymore…
Well yeah we’re apparently amazing at developing catchers and pitchers but make everyone a worse hitter than they started out. Judge has his own hitting coach for a reason. The lack of infield depth in rhe organization is crazy
Lot of made up hindsight in this article.
Fedde was an obvious trade candidate?
This site had a list of “obvious trade candidates” and named 7 guys from the Cardinals. And NOT A SINGLE ONE was traded.
Fedde didnt cost much to acquire. All he costed was Edman who was hurt at the time and had a year of team control left at a higher cost than Feddes year. What kind of trade value do you think he had in the offseason? And why would the team trade him when they let Gibson and Lynn walk?
Myles Straw for Fedde.
Hell no
Straw has played good in 2025. I would do that deal. Not sure the Jays would.
@King. He’s been good defensively for sure but has a light bat. With Varaho coming back hopefully soon he’ll be the everyday CF. Get the 7.5 mill straw is owed off the books too. Maybe cards needs to add a 20s prospect to sweeten it?
He’ll go to the dodgers and become a superstar, while we get prospects not even ranked in our system that’ll be busts like rushing bc why not
Edman has a sub 700 OPS at the moment. And he also has a huge contract.
We get it, you commented this earlier, and that’s if he gets dealt there.
Edward
Theodore
Frederick
Fedde
Kind of good timing for him. Someone will open a rotation spot via trade pretty soon then snag him for minimum wage.
Why didn’t they wait until Matz and Maton are traded and move him to the bullpen?
Because he’s cooked. We need to create space for the young guys to get a look before the end of the season.
From “My Three Sons”?
Because they’re still trying to compete so that they DON’T trade those guys, and they couldn’t afford to give up even a single game more that McGreevy could start instead.
@Landirac
So, you think the team shouldn’t be sellers, at this point?
I don’t think I’m being alarmist or negative by thinking that this team simply isn’t built to win in the postseason and that it’s time to cut bait by trading Helsley and Maton, and probably just eating the Mikolas money to get a young arm up in the mix sooner than later.
Sounds like you don’t agree.
It’s undetermined at this point. Currently, they’re still in the race. We’ll see where they are in the standings after this final game against the Rockies and the 4-game set against the Padres.
Any team that gets into the playoffs has a significant shot to win it all, such as the 2006 Cardinals. The MLB playoffs are just that much of a crapshoot. Even if they don’t, making the playoffs alone provides a significant boost to the year’s revenue.
The 2006 Cardinals were a really good team who backed into the playoffs, but had a bunch of guys (including several future HOFs) get healthy and start hitting and performing at the very end of the regular season.
It was a perfect storm, but the only reason the storm had the chance of existing was because talented guys got healthy at the right time. This current Cardinal team is made up of a few really good players, a bunch of role players and mostly young guys whose talents have yet to be determined.
Not the same scenario for the playoffs, in my opinion.
Orioles will sign him to veteran minimum if he becomes a free agent and after trading away Eflin and Morton. They have no one in the minors who can step into a starting role and they’ll need someone to eat innings while the injured pitchers slowly come back.,
A bad pitcher doesn’t really eat innings. They just tax the bullpen.
100% will happen!
Just really makes me sick that Edman was the piece moved in the trade for him and it ends with a DFA…start picking up the phone and shopping the big guys; Helsley, Gray, Arenado, Contreras…
Three of those guys have no trade clauses they’re refusing to waive. Helsley will be dealt.
We’ll see when the trade if the trade is to NYY in Arenado’s case.
Mr. Fedde, the Orioles are holding on Line 1 for you.
Without a doubt!
There’s just 2 explanations for this season: 1) Distracted because of home life, family issues….. 2) He’s playing through injuries he hasn’t told anyone anything about
There are at least 2 things we should assume, given your specific, pointed insights regarding this matter:
1). You know things about the inner workings of the pitcher and that you are a baseball professional within the Cardinals organization
2). See #1
As far as we know he could have an injury that the front office is aware of, but they are not known for being open and honest about anything anymore especially injuries and their extent / severity.
Guys can hide injuries…until they have to pass a physical with an MRI. Trades have to pass a physical, during which it is VERY hard to hide an actual injury. Do some guys get hurt right after they sign? Yep. But strength tests and MRIs can show you what you need to know.
McGreevy’s MLB strikeout rate is NOT 15.2%. In 51.1 total innings (2024 and 2025), he has struck out 35, for a 22.7% K rate. This year, his rate is down slightly, at 20% exactly. (But he has only pitched 28.1 innings.) Not sterling numbers, but not as bad as the article suggests.
Should Nats sign him back?
Why would the Nationals spend any money on anyone this season?
The disrespect or the lack of competence in this rotation. Not sure which ones more appropriate.
Mikolas should take notice.
TJW – McGreevey’s K-rate is 15.2% according to all the stat sites. I believe it’s based on strikeouts per batters faced, not strikeouts per inning.
Next up for DFA the delicate wall flower Gorman and possibly Nootbar.
ZERO chance either of them get DFA’d. ZERO.
They’re young and still have multiple years of team control. Are their options running out and are we frustrated with their (primarily Gorman) lack of progress? Absolutely.
But they will not be DFA’d this year.
When are they going to DFA Marmol, fortunately they don’t have to worry about Mo!
A trip to the IL
This has Mike Elias written all over. Another pitcher on the cheap!
It will be a battle with Breslow, this is Boston’s MO. Cheap rotation with worn parts with the exception of Crochet.
Has anyone ever thought that it is our pitching coach?
Please please do not trade Helsley to the dang Dodgers. Please.
Trade for the biggest prospect haul possible, regardless of where.
The Braves need Fedde to lead them as close to last place as possible. Also eating IP would be nice