Cardinals listed as surprise trade deadline winners; where do they rank?

The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, setting the stage for an all-out sprint to the playoffs.

In a hotly contested National League Wild Card picture, it was imperative for the St. Louis Cardinals to improve their roster. They attempted to do so by bringing in a starting pitcher, an outfielder and a reliever.

In a three-team deal, the Cardinals acquired Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham from the Chicago White Sox, sending Tommy Edman and a prospect to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then, they acquired reliever Shawn Armstrong from the Tampa Bay Rays for Dylan Carlson.

Fedde, Pham, and Armstrong are hardly superstars in today's game. But MLB.com's Will Leitch sees the utility in all three of them for the Cardinals, which was enough for him to rank St. Louis first among his "trade deadline winners" on Wednesday.

"They seemingly went out and filled all (their) holes without giving up much of anything they’ll miss this year … or even in the future," Leitch said.

Fedde, 30, was perhaps the most important acquisition St. Louis made. The best pitcher in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2023, Fedde's return to the United States has been a triumph, featuring a 3.11 ERA and 4.8 wins above replacement in 22 starts.

Best of all, Fedde is under contract for 2025 at just $7.5 million, meaning he'll get two chances to make a playoff push with the Cardinals.

Pham, 36, is a true rental who already spent parts of six seasons in St. Louis. The 11-year veteran had an excellent 2023 postseason in 2023 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and hit a grand slam in his first game back with the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Armstrong, 33, is joining his sixth team in a 10-year big-league career. He did his best work with the Rays, who are known for getting the best from their relievers, posting a 3.50 ERA across four seasons.

Leitch gave the Cardinals high praise for the value they landed, especially Fedde, whom he called "a heist." But he also acknowledged that although the Cardinals may be better now than they were before the deadline, it's far from a lock that they'll make the playoffs.

Entering play Wednesday, the Cardinals were 55-52, two games back of the final NL Wild Card spot. Every game will count from this point forward, and their trio of new acquisitions will be counted on to produce in the clutch.

More MLB: Cardinals land star pitcher in three-team blockbuster with Dodgers, White Sox