Cardinals Reportedly Got Short End Of Stick In Trade With Big-Market Club

The St. Louis Cardinals were in a much better position to make the playoffs at this summer's trade deadline than they are now, with only 22 games remaining.

At the trade deadline, St. Louis needed another high-quality starter to complement ace Sonny Gray and Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak seemed to accomplish that by landing left-handed pitcher Erick Fedde from the Chicago White Sox.

However, as time has gone on, the three-team deal Mozeliak negotiated to land Fedde seems more likely to backfire, as one of the Cardinals players dealt in that trade has the potential to be something special.

Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Tommy Edman was mentioned as one of the best trade pieces from this summer's trade deadline, according to New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Edman was traded to Los Angeles in a three-team deal between the Cardinals, Dodgers and White Sox. The Dodgers sent a haul of prospects to Chicago while they sent Fedde and Tommy Pham, who's now with the Kansas City Royals, to St. Louis.

Not only is Pham no longer with the Cardinals but Fedde hasn't proved he was worth giving up homegrown talent Edman for. Since joining St. Louis, he has posted a 1-4 record with a 4.64 ERA, 29-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .233 batting average against and a 1.21 WHIP in 33 innings pitched.

Granted, Edman hasn't done much with Los Angeles either but the 29-year-old is also coming off an injury and has played in only 15 games all season.

The ceiling for Edman's career could be much higher than for Fedde, whose time with Chicago in the first half of the season was the only point in his career when he was considered a top starter.

Could Edman's trade be another case of the Cardinals' front office trading away a player who has yet to hit his prime?