Braves Acquire Erick Fedde for Almost Nothing in a Very Fair Trade
The Atlanta Braves have acquired right-hander Erick Fedde from the St. Louis Cardinals in what amounts to a low-risk flyer — and a clear salary dump. The return for St. Louis? Either a player to be named later or cash considerations. And to top it off, the Cardinals are covering the roughly $2.7 million left on Fedde’s contract for 2025 according to Alden Gonzalez:
In essence, the Braves are getting a healthy arm to patch a battered rotation. Which they’re paying next to nothing for it.
The move follows a wave of injuries that has decimated Atlanta’s pitching depth, with Grant Holmes landing on the 60-day IL and several other key arms already sidelined. With innings to cover and postseason hopes on life support, Atlanta gets a live arm — and St. Louis gets… relief from a DFA decision they already made.
For the Cardinals, it’s a frustratingly modest return. Fedde had strong value after a 3.30 ERA over 177+ innings last season. For which he was a known trade candidate as far back as last winter. But St. Louis held on, hoping he could anchor the rotation. Instead, he unraveled in 2025, posting a 5.22 ERA and a disastrous 13.25 ERA over his last five starts.
Rather than capitalize when his value was high, the Cardinals waited too long — and now they’re essentially giving him away after he was DFA’d last week.
Fedde, now 32, has a chance to reset in Atlanta, eat innings, and perhaps show enough to thus stay in the Braves’ orbit for 2026. But for the Cardinals, the real story is the cost of hesitation: a player they once valued brought back virtually nothing — except a harsh reminder of what might’ve been.
