The Houston Astros sit pretty with a 4 1/2 game lead over Seattle in the AL West at 45-33. That’s good for third-best in the American League.
But here’s the problem: their rotation is falling apart.
Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr. and Hayden Wesneski are all on the injured list. That’s seven pitchers who could be contributing right now.
Which brings us to Erick Fedde. The Cardinals right-hander just landed on ESPN’s top 50 trade candidates list, with Houston among the potential fits.
“Fedde’s strikeout and walk numbers have regressed from his breakout 2024 season (after coming back from a stint in the KBO League), but he’s allowing less damage on batted balls to keep himself in the rotation.”
The way I see it, Fedde makes sense for what the Astros need. He went 9-9 in 31 starts last year between Chicago and St. Louis, proving he can handle a full workload.
This year hasn’t been quite as strong – he’s 3-6 with a 3.54 ERA – but that’s still effective pitching. More importantly, he eats innings and takes the ball every fifth day. For a contending team missing this many starters, that’s exactly what you’re looking for.
The question is whether Houston has enough prospect capital to get a deal done. They’ve been known to be aggressive when they need help, and with that many injuries, they definitely need help.
What makes Fedde attractive is his contract situation. He’s on an expiring deal, which means the Cardinals won’t be asking for a massive prospect haul if they decide to sell.
All things considered, this seems like a natural fit. Houston needs innings, Fedde provides them, and St. Louis might be looking to move pieces if they fall further out of contention.
It’ll be interesting to see how aggressive the Astros get as the deadline approaches.
