photo: Erick Fedde (Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals addressed two needs in one trade, acquiring starting pitcher Erick Fedde and right-handed hitting outfielder Tommy Pham from the Chicago White Sox. Tommy Edman is now a Los Angeles Dodger.
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Monday, July 29) that they have completed a three-team trade with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers by acquiring top-rated American League starting pitcher Erick Fedde and former Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham from the White Sox, while utility player Tommy Edman and minor league right-handed pitcher Oliver Gonzalez were sent to the Dodgers.
The Cardinals will also receive a player to be named later from the Dodgers and cash considerations from the White Sox.
Fedde, 31, currently ranks 2nd in the majors in bWAR among pitchers (4.6) to the Detroit Tigers Tarik Skubal (5.3) and ranks among AL leaders in winning pct. (.636), ERA (3.11), and groundball pct. (44.4).
The 6-4, 205-pound Fedde, who is under contract thru 2025, pitched for the Washington Nationals from 2017-2022 and owns a career mark of 28-37 with a 4.92 ERA in 123 games (109 starts) in the majors.
Fedde starred in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) last season, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and became the first foreign-born player, and fourth pitcher ever, to win the Triple Crown in pitching (league leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts) and was named the KBO’s Best Pitcher and MVP.
Pham, 36, who played for the Cardinals from 2014-2018, was batting .266 with 5 HR’s and 19 RBI in 70 games with the White Sox this season. The right-handed hitting Pham is batting .366 with runners on base this season and has played all three outfield positions for the Pale Hose after getting a late start to his season.
Pham enjoyed a strong postseason showing for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, batting .429 in the World Series, and he owns a career .313 batting mark and .846 OPS in 31 career postseason games.
Pham has a career batting mark of .259 and .780 OPS with 135 HR’s and 450 RBI in 1,075 career games in the majors with St. Louis (2014-18), Tampa Bay (2018-19), San Diego (2020-21), Cincinnati (2022), Boston (2022), New York Mets (2023), Arizona (2023) and the White Sox (2024).
The Cardinals have designated Memphis (AAA) catcher Nick Raposo for assignment to make room on their 40-player Major League roster for the additions of Fedde and Pham.
Brian Walton’s take
Here is the rest of the trade.
The Dodgers traded 3B Miguel Vargas, SS Alexander Albertus, SS Jeral Perez and a player to be named later or cash considerations to the White Sox for RHP Michael Kopech.
The Cardinals addressed their need for a right-handed hitting outfielder and starting pitcher in one trade. In the process, they gave up a valuable player in Edman, though one who has been unavailable for the entire season to date.
In his eight rehab games with the Springfield Cardinals. Edman has yet to play in the field and batted just .207 with a 26.5% strikeout rate at Double-A.
It remains to be seen whose rotation spot Fedde will take, but it would seem to block lefty Steven Matz, who hopes to return from injury in August.
Gonzalez, 17, is a native of Panama signed this February. In seven appearances including four starts for the Dominican Summer League Cardinals, the right-hander posted a 4.22 ERA. He struck out 26 and walked seven in 21 1/3 innings.
Though it probably won’t take that long, the Cardinals and Dodgers have six months to decide on the player to be named later.
As the fourth catcher on the 40-man roster, Raposo was needed with St. Louis briefly from June 22-24, but he did not get in a game. In the next week, the 26-year-old will either be traded, released, claimed off waivers, or most likely, cleared waivers and be outrighted to Memphis.
Roster considerations
In the interim, Raposo has lost his 40-man roster spot. Edman obviously has, as well, but he didn’t have one at the time of the trade, as he was on the 60-day injured list. The second 40-man opening needed came from Giovanny Gallegos having been outrighted on Sunday.
When Pham and Fedde report, the Cardinals will have to drop two players from the active 26-man roster.
Counting cash
Fedde for Edman is basically cash neutral in 2024, but the pitcher will be $2 million cheaper in 2025. Pham’s remaining salary for 2024 will be less than the roughly $2 million remaining salary for Gallegos, but that matters only if the Cardinals find a taker for the reliever.
Speaking of cash considerations, we do not know how much money the White Sox are sending to the Cardinals.
For transaction and roster information
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
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