The St. Louis Cardinals did not make the biggest trade of the deadline, but they did make one of, if not the most exciting, for the simple fact that it included three teams.
The Cardinals teamed forces with the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers to complete a seven-player trade. These are the entire terms.
From the Cardinals’ point of view, they shipped Tommy Edman to Los Angeles in exchange for Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham. Although Edman was a very key utility player for St. Louis despite his injuries, his inclusion was a little odd, but the Cardinals addressed perhaps their two largest needs with this trade.
Fedde provided them with the beginning pitching support they needed. Pham gave them the bat they needed to pound left-handed pitchers. For both sides, sacrificing only Edman seemed like a fair trade.
Sadly, perspective is 20/20. The Cardinals have not only performed poorly after the deadline, but the contract has also not held up as well as they would have hoped.
With a record of 54-51 overall and only 1.0 game behind the third Wild Card place in the NL, the Cardinals successfully completed the trade. They had overcome their setbacks, but they remained a strong contender for a postseason berth. It would undoubtedly help if we took care of their two main demands, right?
As of right now, the Cardinals sit 74-74 and 7.0 games out of the final Wild Card slot in the NL after losing their second straight game to the Toronto Blue Jays. Though their hopes are no longer plausible, they are mathematically eliminated.
Make no mistake, Fedde still has another year at a very affordable $7.5 million, which somewhat salvages this agreement. Pham was not included in the deal because the Cardinals intended to cut him a month after it was finalized. They didn’t expect Edman to be as good as he has been when they made the move. Fedde needs to get much better by 2025 if St. Louis hopes for any improvement from this contract.
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