The Red Sox have seemingly decided that Sonny Gray is the Game 2 pitcher they lacked last season.
Boston is acquiring the ex-Yankee, as first reported by The Post’s Jon Heyman.
Gray, 36, waived his no-trade clause to join the AL wild-card team, and he is owed $35 million this upcoming season with a $5 million buyout or $30 million team option for 2027.
St. Louis is receiving pitching prospect Brandon Clarke and another ex-Yankee pitcher in Richard Fitts.
The Red Sox enjoyed a nice run to the postseason last year, but their lack of a frontline starter next to ace Garrett Crochet hampered the team in the postseason.
Boston did not trust Brayan Bello in Game 2, and then turned to rookie Connelly Early with their season on the line against the Yankees in Game 3.
Sonny Gray is heading to Boston. AP
To take that next step in the loaded AL East, the Red Sox hope to have better options in a short series next October.
“Starting pitching,” Red Sox’s Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said earlier this month while previewing the team’s offseason, per MLB.com.
“And particularly someone we feel can start alongside or slot in behind Garrett and start a playoff game for us. Because of the depth that we’ve built up over the last couple of years, we feel pretty good about overall starting pitching and Nos. 3-ish through 10-ish, and that’s not to take away from guys who are certainly capable of doing more. It’s just to say, I don’t think we’re going to spend a ton of time trying to add a No. 4 or a No. 5 starter. If we’re going to make a starting pitching addition, I think it should be somebody who can pitch at the front of a rotation and start a playoff game for us.”
The Red Sox lacked a No. 2 alongside Garrett Crochet. Getty Images
Whether Gray is a Game 2 pitcher is debatable entering his age-36 season, but he’s a dependable veteran who eats innings.
The 13-year veteran has enjoyed success in his career mostly aside from his failed stint in the Bronx, and went 27-17 with a 4.07 ERA spanning 60 starts over the last two years with St. Louis.
He posted a 101 ERA+, meaning his metric graded out just a tad above average, although his FIP (fielding independent percentage) stood at 3.26.
Gray still can tally strikeouts, notching 203 in 2023 and 201 this past season.
Boston now figures to pivot toward adding a big bat this offseason, with Alex Bregman a free agent after opting out following his first year with the team.
Mets star Pete Alonso could make sense for the team.
The Red Sox have also been linked to catcher J.T. Realmuto.
For the Cardinals, this begins the team’s rebuild under new top baseball executive Chaim Bloom, who previously served in that role with Boston.
Outfielder Brendan Donovan reportedly is a hot commodity who could also be moved.
Clarke was Boston’s fifth-ranked prospect, per MLB.com, while Fitts went 2-5 with a 3.97 ERA spanning 11 starts over two seasons with the Red Sox after being included in the Alex Verdugo trade.