2 former Cardinals may regret good-faith move to Red Sox after Alex Cora chaos

The St. Louis Cardinals are at the start of a tough stretch of 17 games in a row, but their struggles are nothing compared to the chaos going on in Boston. While the Cardinals were expected to go through growing pains this year, the Red Sox were projected to be near the top of the AL East, or at least competing for a postseason berth. However, the two teams seemingly flipped roles so far in 2026 and with the Red Sox pulling the plug on Alex Cora, two former Cardinals might be regretting their decisions to waive their no-trade clauses.

With Chaim Bloom in charge, the Cardinals were going a direction different than we are used to as fans, but the overall consensus was that it was time for a change. Unfortunately, that meant that Bloom had to make good on the promises that former POBO John Mozeliak laid out and Bloom began gutting the major league roster with his sights set on the future. Bloom did not waste time this winter, quickly putting together trades for fan favorite Willson Contreras and rotation stabilizer Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in two separate deals. Both players were on the trade block previously, but with the Cardinals in an awkward window of contention and each of those two being armed with a no-trade clause, a deal never materialized until the offseason with the Cardinals netting multiple intriguing minor league arms in return. Now, though, the two veterans may be regretting their decisions to get out of St. Louis.

Red Sox slow start, Alex Cora firing could leave former Cardinals wallowing in their decision

With the Red Sox sitting at 10-17 and last place in the AL East, the Boston executives decided to make a major change and fire manager Alex Cora along with five members of his staff. With these changes, former major leaguer Chad Tracy will now get the opportunity to lead the club as he gets called up from Triple-A to the big league bench. Tracy, getting his first chance to lead a major league club, may need to lean on some veterans to help navigate the muddy Boston waters, putting Gray and Contreras, two of the oldest players on the roster into an even more prominent role as leaders of a young team.

Neither player seemed to want to leave St. Louis, but the writing was on the wall and both players accepted the reality that their services would be better utilized elsewhere. The match was made with Boston and it appeared to be a win-win trade as Boston got their firepower, and the Cardinals revamped their minor league system. Now, with the roles flipped, both veterans could be wondering what things would look like if they fought against a deal and decided to stick around for another season. That was never a likely, or desired, outcome for either side as changes needed to happen in the St. Louis organization, but Gray and Contreras would be dealing with less drama than what they now have facing them with over 100 games remaining in the season.

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