Boston competed with the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers down the stretch for an American League Wild Card spot. The Red Sox ended up missing out. Kansas City and Detroit made the postseason and shocked the baseball world by upsetting the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros.
If the Red Sox were able to get over the hump and nab one of the spots, they could’ve been in the same situation.
Things didn’t work out, but now the Red Sox just need to add a few more pieces this winter. One player who should be a prime target for Boston this winter is St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray.
He signed a three-year, $75 million deal ahead of the 2024 season but now will likely be traded this winter. He has a no-trade clause, but if he’s open to a move, he likely will be on the way out of town. The Cardinals are looking to cut payroll and his name already has been menitoned.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter put together a list of the top trade candidates this winter and had Gray at No. 10.
“After finishing runner-up in (American League) Cy Young voting with the Minnesota Twins in 2023, veteran Sonny Gray signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals early last offseason as they worked to rebuild their starting rotation,” Reuter said. “He finished 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 203 strikeouts in 166.1 innings in his Cardinals debut, but the team missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, and a larger retooling may be in order.
“His contract was back-loaded, and that remaining money takes a bite out of his trade value, but he has a lengthy track record as a frontline option and should generate plenty of interest if he is made available.”
Gray isn’t expensive and has upside to be a No. 1 or No. 2 starter in a rotation. Why not see what a deal could cost?
