Red Sox Bolster Rotation with Sonny Gray Acquisition
The Boston Red Sox have finalized a strategic move by acquiring veteran right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. This transfer aims to strengthen the team’s starting rotation for the upcoming season. In return, the Cardinals will receive left-handed prospect Brandon Clarke and right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts. In addition, the Red Sox will provide $20 million to cover part of Gray’s salary. Gray, 36, waived his no-trade clause to join the Red Sox. Last season, the three-time All-Star posted a 14-8 record with a 4.28 ERA, not missing a start with St. Louis. Gray’s contract was modified to guarantee him $41 million: a salary of $31 million for next year and a mutual option of $30 million for 2027, with a $10 million buyout. With the addition of Gray, the Red Sox now have two of the five pitchers who have achieved at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last two seasons, alongside Garrett Crochet. Craig Breslow, Red Sox’s chief of baseball operations, had indicated that adding a starting pitcher behind Crochet was one of the team’s goals for the offseason, and the deal for Gray provides Boston with significant depth in starting pitching for 2026. Behind Crochet and Gray, are right-handers Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford, with several left-handed options for the back end of the rotation: Patrick Sandoval, Kyle Harrison and two rookies who pitched important innings, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. Right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins suffered a torn ACL in July but is expected to return for spring training. Veteran right-hander Tanner Houck underwent Tommy John surgery in August and is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season.While the Red Sox have expressed interest in Minnesota’s right-hander Joe Ryan, among other starting pitching trade targets, they opted for a short-term strategy with Gray, who has played in the Major Leagues for 13 years, and was an All-Star in 2023. He has a career record of 125-102 with an ERA of 3.58 in 330 starts.
When asked if Gray was the No. 2 starter the Red Sox were looking for, Breslow said, “I don’t know how much sense it makes in November to put a number on a guy.” “Sonny is a very talented Major League pitcher. The seasons he’s had quite consistently indicate this. That said, we still intend to improve our team. Exactly how that will be, we don’t know at this moment.” Clarke, 22 years old and 6 feet 4 inches tall, has a fastball that can reach 100 mph, combined with a slider. He pitched 38 innings in Class A this season, striking out 60 batters, but giving up 27 walks, for an ERA of 4.03. Fitts, who turns 26 next month, went 2-4 with a 5.00 ERA in 10 starts for the Red Sox in his rookie season. He struck out 40 while allowing 11 home runs in 45 innings.“We’ve been pretty transparent about our desire to add to the rotation, and our desire to add a bat,” Breslow told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. “I don’t think anyone wants to feel like they’re in the position of having to check off multiple items on the shopping list and feel like they’re running out of time or options. … But we certainly feel good about our current situation.”
Craig Breslow
“Both have the potential to be part of our growing core for a long time.”“[Fitts] has already begun his career in the major leagues, and with his power and willingness to attack the strike zone, he has the ability to start games at the highest level for many years,” said Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, who previously held that position with the Red Sox.
Chaim Bloom
