The St. Louis Cardinals have made their first move as the trade deadline approaches. While other potential deals may be more complex, this one was simple and obvious. Starting pitcher Erick Fedde, who had a disastrous 2025 campaign with the Cardinals, was designated for assignment and then traded to the Atlanta Braves. It’s another apparent misstep by the current front office, and many fans are hoping it’s the last. Although hindsight might justify trading 2024 NLCS MVP Tommy Edman for Fedde, the move now looks like yet another failed attempt at cutting costs that completely backfired.
Both sides of the Cardinals’ fanbase seem to agree: this situation dragged on far too long. John Mozeliak prioritized trying to recoup trade value rather than improving the rotation to stay competitive. With Fedde and Miles Mikolas turning into automatic losses, manager Oliver Marmol had little chance to turn things around. Rather than pursue free agents or call up touted prospect Michael McGreevy, the front office kept trotting Fedde out every five days in hopes of boosting his trade stock. That decision cost the team games, eroded fan interest in the NL Wild Card chase, and further diminished confidence in Mozeliak, now in his final season as President of Baseball Operations.
Now, with the Cardinals sliding out of playoff contention and shifting into seller mode ahead of Thursday’s deadline, Mozeliak is responsible for extracting value from expiring veteran contracts. Based on recent history, fans have little reason to expect success. This team shouldn’t be in this position—if the front office had addressed pitching depth earlier, they might still be contenders. But instead, they waited too long, and now the Cardinals have little hope of making the postseason. As the losses pile up, fans should direct their frustration not at the players or the manager, but at the front office—whose decisions have derailed the 2025 season and possibly the team’s future.