Red Sox acquiring pitcher Sonny Gray in trade with Cardinals: Report

Red Sox acquiring pitcher Sonny Gray in trade with Cardinals: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox have made an early move to bolster their starting rotation.

The Red Sox have acquired right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, the team announced Tuesday. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the news.

Boston is sending right-hander Richard Fitts and left-hander Brandon Clarke to St. Louis in exchange for Gray and cash, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Here are the full terms of the deal, with MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reporting the Cardinals are sending $20 million to Boston:

• Red Sox receive: RHP Sonny Gray, $20 million

• Cardinals receive: RHP Richard Fitts, LHP Brandon Clarke

Gray, 36, posted a 4.28 ERA with a 1.234 WHIP over 32 starts for the Cardinals last season. Those aren’t remarkable numbers, but Gray did boast impressive command, leading the majors in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.29) with 201 strikeouts to just 38 walks.

A three-time All-Star, Gray has pitched for five different teams — the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and Cardinals — over 13 MLB seasons.

Gray signed a three-year, $75 million contract with St. Louis in 2024 and was set to make $35 million this season. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, however, the Red Sox are reworking his contract to a $31 million salary in 2026 with a mutual-option buyout of $10 million after the season.

So, with $20 million coming in from St. Louis, Boston essentially is on the hook for $21 million of Gray’s salary for one year. That’s a relatively fair price to pay a pitcher of Gray’s age and stature.

At the moment, Gray would slot in as a middle-of-the-rotation arm behind Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello, giving the Red Sox an experienced pitcher with strong command who can eat innings.

Rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early showed plenty of promise last season and could round out the rest of the rotation. Both young hurlers are relatively unproven, however, so you could argue Craig Breslow and Co. still need to add more starting pitching — preferably a big name like Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who has been linked to Boston in trade rumors.

Tuesday’s trade for Gray — with old friend and Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom — is a clear sign the Red Sox are in “win now” mode. But how they add around Gray will go a long way in determining whether this move was worthwhile.