The Boston Red Sox have finally added another star pitcher to their rotation.
It has been known that the Red Sox were in the market to bring in another high-end starter to pair with southpaw ace Garrett Crochet since the trade deadline, when they were pursuing Minnesota Twins hurler Joe Ryan. Despite boasting a 3.70 team ERA this season, which ranked in the top five in baseball, Boston still wanted to improve its starting rotation this offseason.
The Red Sox are reportedly finalizing a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, bringing in three-time All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray, as first reported by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
“Breaking: Sonny Gray traded to Red Sox,” Heyman reported Tuesday.
Loading twitter content…
ESPN’s Jeff Passan later reported the rest of the trade details, with the Red Sox sending the Cardinals back 22-year-old lefty pitcher Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts. Clarke is the Red Sox’s No. 5 prospect and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB draft by the team, while Fitts is another young pitcher with plenty of potential.
Loading twitter content…
Gray has one year left on his backloaded three-year, $75 million contract, but has a $30 million mutual option for the 2027 season. The 36-year-old pitcher touts a career 3.58 ERA across 13 seasons, and chose to waive his no-trade clause in order to be traded to the Red Sox. St. Louis will pay $20 million of the roughly $41 million remaining on the deal.
This was a great trade for Boston. Not only did the team get its second star pitcher to pair with Crochet, but the Red Sox did not have to trade any of their surplus of outfielders, or Payton Tolle or Connelly Early, who made appearances in the big leagues this season.
In what is expected to be a busy offseason after making a postseason appearance for the first time since 2021, the Red Sox have made their first big move with this deal. Don’t be surprised to see Boston in the mix for other star players this offseason.
More MLB: Phillies Projected to Replace Alec Bohm with $171M Red Sox All-Star