The Boston Red Sox bolstered their starting rotation by trading for veteran right-hander Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals. In exchange, the Cardinals received young pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke, with St. Louis covering $20 million of Gray's contract.
The Red Sox made an early offseason splash by acquiring 36-year-old Sonny Gray, addressing a key need in their 2026 rotation. The deal, which did not require dipping into Boston's major league core, sends right-handers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to St. Louis. The Cardinals included $20 million in cash, leaving the Red Sox responsible for approximately $20 million total—covering Gray's $31 million salary for 2026 and a $10 million buyout on his mutual option for 2027.
Gray brings a proven track record of durability and performance, having pitched at least 166 1/3 innings in each of the last three seasons and striking out 200 or more batters in the past two. This contrasts with the Red Sox's experience last year with Walker Buehler, who was released on Aug. 29 after inconsistent outings marred by prior injuries. "Sonny, he's got a pretty significant track record of not only performance and consistency, but of shouldering a pretty significant workload," said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. "I think two out of the last three years he's thrown 180-plus innings with what I would call impeccable command."
For the Cardinals, the trade aligns with their focus on long-term building. Fitts, who has six years of team control remaining, is expected to compete for a rotation spot after a strong 2024 debut and standout 2025 spring training with Boston. Clarke, the Red Sox's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, offers high-upside potential despite questions about health and control. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, formerly with the Red Sox, described the transaction as "a little strange" but emphasized prioritizing St. Louis's needs. "We have somewhere we need to go. We're not there now," Bloom said. "The way to get there is through building on our core of talent and having promising young talent that can be with us for many years."
Breslow indicated the move does not preclude further additions, particularly a power bat to replace Rafael Devers, who was traded to the Giants in June. Potential targets include free agents Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, and Kyle Schwarber. Under pitching coach Andrew Bailey, Gray's pitch mix—featuring an 91.7 mph four-seam fastball used 21.7% of the time last season—could shift to emphasize his offspeed pitches. Fitts reflected on his growth with Boston: "I feel like I really grew as a pitcher with the Red Sox... now, moving to this opportunity, it's like, 'I am a big leaguer. How can I fit into [the Cardinals] rotation?'"