Jon Heyman announced Tuesday afternoon that the St. Louis Cardinals had traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox for Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke.
The Red Sox came into the MLB offseason needing another starting pitcher; the Cardinals were rumored to be shedding salary, so this makes all the sense in the world.
Boston will also be receiving $20 million from St. Louis in the deal.
Chaim Bloom orchestrated the trade as the current Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, and he was formerly the Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer from 2020-2023.
The Red Sox, at the very worst, are getting a number three starter here. Gray’s coming off a 4.28 ERA season in which he started 32 games and had 201 strikeouts in 180.2 innings. Boston, we presume, will still be in the market for a number two starter behind Garrett Crochet, but at worst, they can talk themself into Gray being that guy for them.
Boston can also bank on internal growth from the likes of Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, and hope that Brayan Bello can stack up back-to-back impressive seasons. Red Sox fans don’t want to hear this, though. They want Boston to be ultra-aggressive and to pair another upper-echelon pitcher alongside their ace in Crochet, like Joe Ryan.
Gray had a 31.2% chase rate, 27.5% whiff rate, 26.7% strikeout rate, and a 5% walk rate in the 2025-2026 season. There’s still a good amount to like about him entering the season, but he’s also in year two of a three-year $75 million contract. That contract includes $35 million in the 2026-2027 season, a $30 million mutual option in the 2027-2028 season, and a $5 million buyout as well.
On the other hand, Gray’s seen his fastball velocity decline in each of the last three seasons, which has made it more difficult for him to limit damage contact. In the last three seasons in order, Gray’s seen his fastball velocity go from 92.9 to 92.5 to 92 this past season. His barrel percentage has also gone down in the last three seasons, in order they read as 6.9, 8.9, and 9.8 this past season.
First things first, the Cardinals are getting salary cap relief, which is something that they’ve been heavily rumored to be doing. Another trade being on the horizon wouldn’t be surprising, involving the likes of Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, or Brendan Donovan.
Richard Fitts is a viable starting pitcher in the major leagues, first acquired by the Red Sox in an inter-division trade with the New York Yankees in exchange for Alex Verdugo. Fitts has pitched to a career 3.97 ERA and 49 strikeouts in his 65.2 innings in the major leagues, and projects as a back-of-the-rotation pitcher. He is 25 years old and can instantly start for the Cardinals as their rotation looks incredibly shaky.
St. Louis’ rotation currently employs the likes of Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, and Andre Pallante. They have a couple of intriguing pitchers in their farm system, like Quinn Matthews, Tekoah Roby, and Tink Hence as well.
Brandon Clarke was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Red Sox’s fifth-best prospect and even ahead of the very intriguing Connelly Early. Clarke is 22 years old, a fifth-round pick in 2024, can reach 100 mph with his fastball, and has a devastating slider. He pitched to a 4.03 ERA in 38 innings and 14 starts last season with 60 strikeouts in Low-A and High-A ball.
St. Louis will once again be reshaping their starting rotation. The Cardinals hope that a couple of guys can break out in this upcoming season in both the majors and minors. That can very well be both Fitts and Clarke, who have really good opportunities to be mainstays in St. Louis’ rotation down the line.
All in all, the Cardinals are getting out of the Gray contract while receiving a couple of intriguing pitching options back, even if they might come with some reliever risk. This is a very interesting time for St. Louis fans as they are shedding salary, presumably entering a mini rebuild/retool, and they might feel like they’re stuck in limbo.
On the other hand, the Red Sox are adding a good pitcher to their rotation for at least one season, and they hope that this isn’t all they do to address their needs. They could use another pitcher, and you can never go wrong with a middle-of-the-order power bat.
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