Sonny Gray will continue to wear red, but now it will be in Boston instead of St. Louis. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
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Just about two years ago, Sonny Gray signed a three-year, $75 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. As of today, he will pitch the final year of that deal with the Boston Red Sox.
The 2023 contract called for Gray to be paid $35 million in 2026, with a $30 million mutual option for 2027. If either side elected not to move forward, there was a $5 million buyout.
The Cardinals are clearly in a rebuilding mode under new president of baseball operation Chaim Bloom. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, St. Louis could have a lower payroll next season than the Cincinnati Reds. A move like this portends an eventual trade of third baseman Nolan Arenado, who has already intimated that he is more open to waiving his no trade clause this off-season to find a new team with whom he can end his storied career.
Boston has been on the lookout for a number two starter to slot in behind Garrett Crochet. Gray fits that bill. Over thirteen seasons and five teams, Gray has amassed 33.8 bWAR, with 125 wins against 102 losses. He has a career ERA of 3.58 and FIP of 3.51. The three-time All-Star and three-time top-10 Cy Young finalist should be a great addition to a team that has young starters, including Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Kyle Harrison (acquired as part of the Rafael Devers trade), and possibly even Tanner Houck.
The Red Sox did have to say goodbye to Richard Fitts, who has pitched in 15 games over two seasons, going 2-5 with a 3.97 ERA and a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. Left-handed pitcher Brandon Clark, who Boston drafted in the fifth round in 2024 also heads to St. Louis as part of the trade. The Red Sox agreed to a player to be named later or cash considerations, which makes the deal not fully complete as of this writing.
Where things get interesting is how the acquiring team and the lead player reworked his contract to make everything fit. The $35 million Gray was due to be paid for 2026 was reduced to $31 million, while the buyout was increased from $5 million to $10 million. Simply put, Gray is guaranteed $41 million – unless the player and team mutually agree to keep the party going in 2027 for $30 million, in which event he will get $61 million over two years. But the upcoming labor negotiations make 2027 uncertain (at best), so Gray was able to get himself an additional $1 million of guaranteed money while also going to a team sure to be in the pennant race. A win-win for him.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that St. Louis sent $20 million in Gray’s suitcase to offset some of the cost, so while the Red Sox are on the hook for $41 million, St. Louis is paying roughly half of that. The club gets a number two starter at a number four starter salary, and didn’t have to give up much to get him. A win-win for them.
This deal, while significant, pales in comparison to Boston’s most important Thanksgiving deal, orchestrated 22 years ago, when Theo Epstein carved a turkey at Curt Schilling’s house and convinced him to come to Boston to break the Curse of the Bambino. Eleven months and one bloody sock later, that is exactly what he did.
But fans in the Back Bay can take this as step one in the Red Sox off-season that looks to see the team improve in all of the ways necessary to not only compete in the toughest division in baseball, but also in the rough and tumble post-season, where the Dodgers proved how important starting pitching can be.