The Philadelphia Phillies were quiet in the offseason, making only two major moves. They signed Jordan Romano to fill the closer’s role while also trading for left-hander Jesus Luzardo.
Unfortunately, Philadelphia has been hit with a bit of adversity. Left-hander Ranger Suarez will begin the 2025 season on the injured list with a back issue
Suarez shouldn’t be out for too long, but the Phillies could use another starting pitcher, as Taijuan Walker is not exactly a viable option to be the fifth starter.
Drew VonScio of Newsweek proposed the idea of Philadelphia trading for St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Erick Fedde.
“There are a few reasons why this makes sense for the Phillies. First and foremost, Fedde is a cheaper option than most. He’s entering the final year of his contract and will make $7.5 million in 2025,” VonScio wrote. “He posted a 3.30 ERA between the Chicago White Sox and Cardinals last year after returning from Korea. Adding him would not be too much of a financial strain for the Phillies.”
Fedde is somebody who can eat innings as a back-end starting pitcher. The Phillies would certainly benefit from having him around if they decide to make a trade.
The veteran right-hander pitched 177 1/3 innings last year with Chicago and St. Louis. But with him on a cheap contract and entering the final year of it, the Phillies should be able to get something done if they want to add him.
The Cardinals may want to sell high on him, but if they’re rebuilding and the Phillies are trying to contend, a trade certainly would make sense.
This would allow St. Louis to finally start their “reset” while the Phillies could fill a hole and have an extra option when Suarez returns. It would also allow them not to rush top prospect Andrew Painter to the big leagues, as VonScio also notes.
We’ll see if a deal materializes between the two teams.
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