3 potential trade suitors for St. Louis Cardinals' Sonny Gray

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants just got an up-close and personal look at Sonny Gray, as he twirled six innings of three-run ball (two earned runs) while striking out seven batters. He faced the Giants earlier this month as well at Busch Stadium and held them to three runs in 5.1 innings while striking out six batters en route to a St. Louis victory.

The Giants have been seeking starting pitching help for several years now, and the trade of Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison only increased their need for reliable starters. Justin Verlander is set to be a free agent following the 2025 season, leaving the Giants with only Logan Webb and Robbie Ray as proven starters at the major-league level.

San Francisco has become a pitcher whisperer organization lately, reviving the career of Robbie Ray and bringing along Justin Verlander. Ray was hurt for most of 2023 and 2024, and he fell back down to earth in 2022 following a Cy Young trophy in 2021. He has a 3.65 ERA with 186 strikeouts in 182.1 innings this year for an ERA+ of 109.

Justin Verlander struggled last year with the Houston Astros at the age of 41; he finished the year with a 5.48 ERA in only 90.1 innings. He's been a pleasant surprise this year for the Giants with a 3.88 ERA in 146 innings. San Francisco has rejuvenated him slightly. Both Ray and Verlander found success as veterans with the Giants this year. The organization could follow that path with another veteran starter this winter in Sonny Gray.

Clearly, the Giants need a starting pitcher. They also have the financial flexibility to afford him. They've tried flexing their muscles in the free agent markets lately while falling short of stars like Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. With the departure of Verlander this winter, the Giants could have enough financial flexibility to bring in Sonny Gray.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported a few weeks ago that the Giants would have interest in acquiring Gray, so this isn't an unfounded location for the veteran starter. The kicker here is whether Sonny Gray would be comfortable being that far away from his hometown in Tennessee.