Astros Making Trade Deadline Splash With Cardinals Could Solve Pitching Concern

The Houston Astros are legitimately looking like the best team in the American League as of late, and realistically can contend to regain their supremacy with a pennant this year.

This is far from a finished product, but then again, so is the rest of the competition standing in their way.

Who represents the AL in the Fall Classic is going to come down to getting hot at the right time and making the right moves down the stretch in order to put themselves in the best possible spot.

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For the Astros, that means adding at the trade deadline a little over a month from now.

Based on the way the season started, this is a team with significantly less holes than it may have initially appeared. But there is one obvious area where Houston should be looking to add to before July 31.

Nobody has been rocked by injuries to their starting rotation more than the Astros.

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While Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown have had sensational campaigns and have been able to carry the load, beyond the dynamic one-two punch is a suspect group at best, especially when they get into the playoffs.

Houston must add at least one reliable starter if they are going to make a deep run, and they have to get some of their guys back healthy to fortify things.

Though they have been linked to some of the top available names who would cost a king's ransom, they really don't have an urgent need to go out and land a new ace.

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Similar to last year's deal for Yusei Kikuchi, the Astros need someone they can count on to give them some quality starts and take pressure off the top of the rotation.

One name that is perfect fit for that is St. Louis Cardinals veteran right-hander Erick Fedde.

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Set to hit free agency after the season and not having quite the dominant campaign like he did in 2024, Fedde should be very reasonably priced if the Cardinals are trying to unload him.

With a 4.11 ERA and 1.357 WHIP across 16 starts this year, Fedde is not flashy by any means, but he is capable of being the kind of arm that could give this Houston rotation a massive boost.

If the Astros want to add a middle of the rotation arm to give themselves and their star pitchers at the top some relief, Fedde could be their guy.

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