St. Louis Cardinals: Tough trade targets in the NL Central

Gregory Polanco #25 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates after hitting a two run homer during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 25, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Gregory Polanco #25 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates after hitting a two run homer during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 25, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 27: Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on against the Minnesota Twins on September 27, 2020 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 27: Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on against the Minnesota Twins on September 27, 2020 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

Cincinnati Reds: Sonny Gray

With Dakota Hudson out for the year in 2021, there is an easy argument to be made that the Cardinals need some rotation help.

In 2020, the Reds were one of the teams fans were most afraid of before the year. Sadly, almost every facet of their team underperformed in the 60-game season and as of this week, it seems they are open to trading Sonny Gray.

Gray deserves a lot of credit for revitalizing his career and now sits as a solid middle of the rotation option at a very moderate price.

Owed just over $10M in 2021 and 2022, Gray has a $12M option in 2023 and is easily worth more than that. If the Cardinals can find a way to take Carlos Martinez‘s contract off the books, Gray could be brought in as a much more consistent option as a 2nd or 3rd starter for less money.

Gray is a high strikout guy who the Cardinals could use more of. In 2020 at least, he was hurt by the bad defense of the Reds and could see a big benefit from getting the Cardinals’ stellar defense backing him up.

At just 31-years-old in 2021, Gray won’t be cheap to get by trade, but if the Cardinals want to make sure their starting pitching is one of strengths, Gray would be a fantastic cheap option to bring in for the next three years to solidify things.