A pair of AL Central teams are interested in trading for two St. Louis Cardinals starting pitchers. Steven Matz and Erick Fedde have both reportedly “drawn interest” from the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians. The report comes from John Denton, Mark Feinsand, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Tigers, Guardians Interested In Erick Fedde, Steven Matz https://t.co/U9b4Cy0KF0 pic.twitter.com/SYGpRJnqIo
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) December 21, 2024
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AL Central Teams Eyeing Cardinals’ Starting Pitchers
Cardinals Looking To Offload Veterans
The Cardinals are shifting their focus from veteran players to developing young players. In 2024, the team had the fourth oldest average pitcher age at 30.9. The organization wants to look at its younger pitching talent next year.
Two starting rotation spots have already opened up for the Cardinals. The team declined options on 37-year-old Lance Lynn and 36-year-old Kyle Gibson.
Matz is in the final year of his deal with the Cardinals. He is slated to make $12.5 million this season but has no trade protections on his contract. Fedde is 31 years old and slated to make $7.5 million in 2025. The Cardinals are not likely to sign him past this season when his contract expires.
Tigers And Guardians Looking To Bolster Rotation
The Tigers had the fourth-best starter ERA in the League in 2024 at 3.38. The Guardians had the eighth-worst starter ERA in the League in 2024 at 4.40. Despite that, the Guardians’ starting pitchers picked up 10 more wins than the Tigers’ last season.
The Tigers had the fewest innings pitched from their starters in 2024, with 753 innings. The Guardians had the seventh fewest innings pitched from starters at 805.
The Guardians have already made several moves to start pitching this offseason. They re-signed Shane Bieber and traded for Luis Ortiz from the Pirates. However, they are in the hunt for more solutions as the contending team wants a deeper rotation.
The Tigers have also made some moves this offseason for their rotation. They signed Alex Cobb to a 1-year deal. However, coming off a postseason appearance in 2024, they want to fill out the rest of their rotation behind Cy Young Winner Tarik Skubal.
Return Will Be Different For Either Pitcher
2024 was a down year for Matz because of injuries. He was shut down with a back strain on May 1st and didn’t make it back to the Cardinals until September. In all, he only pitched 44.1 innings in 2024. In that time, he produced a 5.08 ERA with 33 strikeouts.
The 33-year-old pitcher is an attractive option for the Cardinals to trade away because of the desire to cut payroll and the ability to trade him wherever they can find the best deal.
Fedde returned from the Korean League in 2024 and pitched well with the Chicago White Sox. He had a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts with the White Sox. The Right Hander had a win-loss record of 7-4 and had a WAR of 4.7 before the trade to the Cardinals at the deadline. After the trade, Fedde made 11 starts and had a 3.72 ERA with a 2-5 record and a .9 WAR.
The Cardinals aren’t as eager to move Fedde as they are Matz. However, Fedde is younger, cheaper, and has a seemingly higher potential than Matz. Fedde is more likely to warrant a return in prospects than Matz, which serves the Cardinals new long-term plan.
Main Photo Credits: Jeff Le-Imagn Images
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