Giants Can Upgrade Rotation Without Trading Prospects by Stealing Cardinals Star

The San Francisco Giants are finding themselves at a crossroads just a week before the trade deadline, at five games above .500 and narrowly out of the playoff picture for right now.

In a hyper-competitive National League, making a run in the playoffs is going to be tough, and it's no secret that the roster as currently constructed is not equipped enough to do it

Whether the Giants actually want to go all in on this season remains to be seen, but if they do they will need some pitching help. Their ability to land a legitimate impact starter is fairly market dependent, a reality that puts them in a tough spot.

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All season long, in trade discussions from insiders and pundits, the theory from most has been that teams are more needy than what's out there in terms of starting pitching.

Given that a week ahead of the deadline, there have been no major moves across baseball in this area, that theory is proving to be accurate as teams try to wait out the market and allow prices to come down.

For San Francisco though, they may have just been done a favor by the St. Louis Cardinals.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Cardinals raised some eyebrows when they designated right-hander Erick Fedde for assignment. Fedde is having a rough year with a 5.22 ERA and 1.505 WHIP, however these numbers alone ordinarily wouldn't be enough for a team to part ways with an experienced starter.

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The 13.50 ERA and 2.49 WHIP over the last five starts are to blame here as Fedde has hit rock bottom.

Perhaps though it's maybe a change of scenery that's needed here.

Fedde is just a year removed from the best season of his career, posting a 3.30 ERA over 31 starts in 2024 with a 1.162 WHIP and an extremely valuable bWAR of 5.6.

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While it may feel like it is, it's not this distant memory, the last time he was able to pitch at a high level, so perhaps there's a mechanical issue that could be solved by a fresh coaching staff.

Fedde is not going to arrive to a new club and immediately become an ace again, however he absolutely could be capable of contributing to the back end of a rotation and providing depth.

For someone who would cost next to nothing to bring in and come with no risk, giving Fedde an opportunity could absolutely be in the best interest of the Giants.

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