Cardinals putting their faith in trade addition from AL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals have found the starting pitcher they were looking for.

According to Jeff Passan from ESPN, the Cardinals acquired Erick Fedde from the White Sox as part of a three-team deal on Monday.

Utility man Tommy Edman will be heading to the Dodgers while other moving parts include Miguel Vargas and a pair of prospects going to Chicago, reliever Michael Kopech heading to Los Angeles and outfielder  Tommy Pham joining Fedde in going to St. Louis, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.

Fedde has been one of the biggest surprises in the majors this season, two years after falling off with the Nationals. Across six years in Washington, he posted a 5.41 ERA and a 1.523 WHiP over his 454.1 innings, striking out 352 batters with 191 walks. He signed with the NC Dinos in the Korean Baseball Organization for the 2023 season, hoping to rejuvenate his career.

Fedde was able to do exactly that, posting a 2.00 ERA and a 0.954 WHiP in 180.1 innings for the Dinos, striking out 209 batters with 35 walks. Fedde won the Choi Dong-won Award (the KBO version of the Cy Young) and was named as the KBO MVP. He was able to parlay that success into a two-year deal worth $15 million with the White Sox during the offseason.

Fedde has continued his success in the majors this season. He changed his arsenal with the Dinos, scrapping his curve and change-up while adding a sweeper, splitter and a barely used four-seam fastball. Fedde has posted a 3.11 ERA and a 1.142 WHiP in his 121.1 innings this season, striking out 108 batters with 34 walks. That performance would fit well in the middle of the Cardinals' rotation.

The question is: can Fedde sustain that performance?

The St. Louis Cardinals are still taking a leap of faith that Fedde can continue his success. Their playoff hopes may be riding on it.