The Brewers are in contact with the White Sox regarding starter Erick Fedde, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. The Cardinals are also known to be involved on Fedde, while he’s one of a number of pitchers in whom the Astros have reportedly shown interest. Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Mets have also checked in with the Sox on Fedde, though it’s not clear how seriously they’re pursuing him.
Fedde is one of the top targets for teams seeking mid-rotation help. The righty enters tonight’s start against the Mariners with 117 2/3 innings of 2.98 ERA ball. He’s running average or better strikeout, walk and ground-ball marks. His .261 average on balls in play will probably come up a bit and push his ERA above 3.00, but the former National looks like a #3 caliber starter.
The Sox signed him to a two-year, $15MM deal after an MVP season in Korea. That was one of the best value pickups of the offseason and should net them a strong prospect return. Fedde is making $7.5MM in each season. Less than $2.6MM remains to be paid, so he’s appealing both to lower-payroll clubs and those that have luxury tax concerns. The Brewers, of course, fit in the former category.
Milwaukee already acquired a back-end starter this month, bringing in Aaron Civale from the Rays. Fedde is a cleaner fit to start a postseason game, though. Even with Civale in the fold, Milwaukee is running something of a patchwork rotation behind Freddy Peralta. While they’ve gotten good work from journeyman Colin Rea and 26-year-old rookie Tobias Myers, Milwaukee could certainly accommodate another starter.
Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted yesterday that the Brewers were open to the possibility of trading from their big league roster. The Sox are near the bottom of a rebuild and won’t be competitive for multiple seasons. That frees them up to take upside shots on low minors talent, but they could also take a flier on a controllable big leaguer who isn’t playing a significant role. Milwaukee has a lot of outfield talent. FanSided’s Robert Murray wrote yesterday that 25-year-old Garrett Mitchell has come up in some of the Brewers’ trade discussions.
Murray did not report that the Brewers have discussed Mitchell with the White Sox specifically or that Chicago would have interest in him as part of a Fedde deal, to be clear. Speculatively speaking, taking a shot on a player with Mitchell’s physical tools could be intriguing for the White Sox. (That’s also true of Joey Wiemer, a former top prospect who hasn’t produced in the majors but is only 25 himself.) Chicago made a similar roll of the dice in an offseason trade with the D-Backs for Dominic Fletcher.
The Mets weren’t expected to be in the rotation market. As recently as a couple weeks ago, New York was contemplating trading away a starter. That was based on their optimism in Kodai Senga returning from the injured list and Christian Scott coming back from the minors. Instead, Scott suffered a UCL sprain and Senga is likely to miss the rest of the season after straining his calf last night.
That could make the Mets a surprising bidder for rotation help. The Athletic’s Will Sammon indeed writes that New York is likely to at least explore the market. The Mets were reportedly the runner-up for Fedde in free agency last winter, so they were optimistic about the pitcher even before his successful return to the majors.
Jefferson Quero would give the Sox the best brother catching combo of all time.
Interesting
Quero will NOT be going to the Sox for Fedde.
He also has no relation to Edgar Quero
Query is out for the year. MLB doesn’t allow injured players to be traded
A nudge-nudge, wink-wink loophole is always available by going the “PTBNL” route.
How could the White Sox have such a putrid record — historically bad — with so many genuinely good players?
Sometimes that’s just baseball at the end of the day. 2003 Tigers had D Young and still lost 119 games, even though they should have lost 120+. Once the Wsox break this long losing streak, they should win “enough” games to maybe tie or come close to the 2003 Tigers. They are locked to be a sub 50 win team. So I’m predicting they’ll win 45-47 games.
They’ve got TWO guys who are going to get Cy Young votes, for cryin out loud. And some good pen arms. And Luis Robert. That’s not a 115 loss team to my eye.
On paper they are a 57-65 win team. Everything has gone wrong for the Wsox. A perfect storm of consequences and bad luck. Like injuries, poor play, losing games at the worst possible time, etc. 2003 Tigers were 38-118 and won 5 of 6 to finish the season 43-119.
Maybe not a 115 loss team, but they are historically bad offensively. Their team OPS+ is 75. They might have some talented guys on the team but they have some absolute anchors like Andrew Benintendi and Nicky Lopez weighing them down.
Absolutely. But they have to start winning once the long losing streak is over.
Who are these “genuinely good” players? Every position player not named Luis Robert sucks donkey balls.
Who exactly are these “good pen arms?” I think your TV is broken.
seamaholic: Name me one good arm in the Sox’ bullpen.
Have you been watching Robert lately? He’s striking out at an alarming rate, often chasing the sweeper down and away.
Real Sox: Yes
seamaholic: The Sox have three good players: Crochet, Robert and Fedde, and all three will be traded either now or in the off-season making them even more intolerable to watch than they already are.
Two words: Pedro Grifol
Different lineup every game, poor managerial strategy & style, and a complete lack of team chemistry. GM can only do so much so soon with their failed roster construction constrained by the game’s worst owner who’s buddy TLR continues to “advise” Getz.
At least they drafted an ace and have developed quite a talented group of young arms in the minors. Half their future looks to be on the right track.
Half? Getz gets very little to some blame for the trainwreck of a season. Wsox have a good track record at developing pitchers, especially LHP and or southpaws.
I meant the pitching half, although I admit now I should have qualified it as a third (with defense additionally). They have like 10 minor league starters legitimately on the path towards the majors and now have added the best lefty collegiate starter I’ve seen since at least Carlos Rodon at NCSt.
So this is a non-story. How do you “report” a non-story? Ken Rosenthal is like the town’s old biddie who’s always gossipping and starting rumors because she has nothing else of value to do. Get back to us when something actually happens, please.
So you don’t like the website
Goose: It’s like this: Reporters are always looking to be the first one to, well, report something. It’s just a rumor passed along to said reporter, who can then say ” sources close to the situation said…” They never name this “source” but this isn’t a murder trial. They don’t have to. So, the reporter makes an educated guess. So-and-so is interested in Garrett Crochet. So is everyone else, but you read it here first. I don’t mean MLBTR. I mean the guys who write for newspapers or are on TV and billed as “experts”. If the rumor they floated doesn’t pan out, it’s not them, it’s their source. If it does, then they were the first so pin a star on me.
It’s really easy for reporters nowadays to see which team is interested in who. Every ballpark has a section for scouts, and every person in that section has to identify themselves so the reporters just go look at the sheet and see who’s in the ballpark to watch say the SP who’s available at the deadline pitching tonight.
I believe that the White Sox would be mediocre and give a good fight every night with a decent manager.
You’re not wrong. On paper they are a 57-65 win team. But everything has gone wrong for the Wsox this season. If you told me that the Wsox will have their worst season in franchise history(by winning percentage) I would have said that’s a bold take.
Two things have gone wrong for the Sox- Reinsdorf and Getz.
Fedde and Brewers don’t match well. They need to compile big time position player prospects in each trade of Fedde besides bigger fish Crochet/Robert. Fedde is just 1, but Milw not the fit.
Brewers have the outfield and infield prospects that Wsox need. They need hitters badly.
Who specifically fits that bill from Milw as a realistic/mutually beneficial headliner for Fedde?
Balt:Norby
Hou: Melton
Couple examples. They need players that are pretty developed, not projects. Brewers also noted for P development, not position players.
Frelick
Pratt
Black
Would be a great return for the Sox.
Didn’t consider younger Pratt realistic from the Milw point of view (or Black even though 1B not premium position). Frelick agree to disagree.
The general MLB overvaluing of prospects was on overdrive last offseason. When did paying serious money to Montas/Martinez/Stroman/Lynn, etc, etc ever seem good even on the surface compared to trying to lowball on Cease like prospects are “sure things”? Ooh…have press say seller is asking for too much when they don’t accept what’s easy for buyer to give up.
Texas did well to get Monty. Someone is going to do similar for a player/pitcher (not inflating Fedde) and be ahead of that curve of most prospects aren’t going to be huge difference makers that crush them with regret in pursuit of winning a WS.
If you read the article, Garrett Mitchell leads the way. I’d assume Tyler Black is likely included as the crew just don’t see a position to play him. After that would be the throw in prospect like Colorado received in the Mears trade.
Good? Way too much for Milwaukee. 2 top 50 prospects and 1 heading there soon? Frelick graduated now but was top 30 not long ago.
Cardinals truly need a legit #2 starter…that said, he would improve the ball club.
Charlie, you better talk to your GM. Why the Cards haven’t already moved some of their stash of mediocre spare IFers or OFers, for some arms, is a real head scratcher.
Based off some of the returns the past few days, as a W Sox fan, I’d be fine with a Luis Lara & Luke Adams return for Fedde.
You want Luke and Lara? General Hospital heads will understand.
Why the interest? Are you Luke’s daddy? And what’s with your voice. You sound like you’ve got a cold
This is the only good season Fedde has had in his career. If I were the Brewers I would be looking elsewhere. Plenty of good options available. With Peralta being a disappointment the Brewers need a quality starter for any playoff success.
Fedde has overhauled his mechanics and is now realizing his first round potential. Injuries & the Nationals rush to win hurt the development of a lot of pitchers only recently having success. He is legitimately very good, among the 30 best starters who has pitched with zero run production, horrid defense, miserable catching, and a league worst manager and still has impressed.
At the price and with an additional year of control, adding him would be a smart win now move especially with St. Louis about to acquire him. He’s definitely worth giving up a package of, say, Mitchell & Black. Gotta know when to cut bait on Mitchell, though Black is a great prospect, but replaceable for a contender.