The St. Louis Cardinals made a move Saturday morning that probably won’t make waves right away, mostly because at first glance, there doesn’t look like much to report.
The Cardinals signed Aaron Wilkerson, a 36-year-old right-handed pitcher, to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Memphis. Wilkerson, who appeared in 14 MLB games with the Milwaukee Brewers between 2017 and 2019, had opted out of his minor-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday and became a free agent. In 18 starts for the Louisville Bats, Wilkerson went 4-2 with a 4.17 ERA, striking out 78 batters while walking 17 in 95 innings.
Whoa, stop the presses.
Probably just a move to address the lack of depth in the Redbirds’ rotation. Tekoah Roby was placed on the 7-day injured list on Monday, and with Michael McGreevy becoming a regular rider on the “Memphis Express,” the Cardinals likely wanted to simply provide Redbirds manager Ben Johnson with an innings eater who could help steer the team through the second half of the season.
Aaron Wilkerson's Quick Decision to Sign Raises Questions
But why would Wilkerson sign up for such a role?
Just a few days prior, the Ft. Worth, Texas, native – who spent the previous two seasons pitching for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization in hopes of resurrecting his stalling career in the U.S. – had gotten out of a situation where his path to MLB was seemingly blocked. Why would Wilkerson immediately jump into another dead-end deal?
Not to mention the fact that on Friday, the Cardinals transferred 23-year-old right-hander Max Rajcic, their No. 23 prospect, from Double-A Springfield to Memphis. It just feels a bit strange.
Unless there is another move at play here. One that could lead to a need for an MLB-ready arm in St. Louis.
Christopher Kline of FanSided had a similar thought in mind. Noting a few similarities between Wilkerson and Cardinals starter Erick Fedde, Kline suggested that this “sly under-the-radar signing” might signal that a trade involving Fedde is in the works.
“St. Louis already has its replacement [for Fedde] lined up, from the look of it,” Kline wrote.
Cardinals Signing Might Indicate Pending Trade of Erick Fedde
While the Cardinals and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak have given no indication of how they plan to approach the July 31 trade deadline, Katie Woo of The Athletic reported on Thursday that St. Louis “is believed to be shopping starting pitcher Erick Fedde.”
The 32-year-old right-hander, who will be a free agent after this season, has been less-than-impressive in 2025, going 3-9 with a 4.83 ERA. Fedde’s struggles have gotten particularly bad recently, allowing 26 hits and 20 earned runs in 14.2 innings over his last four starts.
However, Fedde enjoyed the best season of his career in 2024, posting a combined 3.30 ERA as he split time between the Chicago White Sox and Cardinals, and with his expiring contract, there could be a contending team or two desperate for pitching who is willing to roll the dice.
“If nothing else, there's a bit of poetry to [Wilkerson] succeeding Fedde as the Cardinals' latest reclamation project,” Kline added. “Nothing is set in stone, but at this point, Wilkerson might replace Fedde even if the latter isn't traded. St. Louis needs to change... something.”