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

When the St. Louis Cardinals signed right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray to a three-year contract following the 2023 season, the assumption was that he would be here to help bring the Cardinals back to their winning ways after a 71-91 performance in the year prior.

Gray knew it would be an uphill battle at the time, but he was willing to work with a younger pitching staff to help them grow into regular starters. His ferocity, intelligence, and experience were welcome additions to a staff that had just lost long-time Cardinal Adam Wainwright to retirement.

The Cardinals haven't been nearly as successful as Gray would have wanted since his signing. They have missed the playoffs in back-to-back years, and they don't look to be getting any closer to postseason dominance as he enters the final year of his three-year contract.

As a result of this lack of postseason success, Gray has expressed a willingness to waive his no-trade clause this winter, according to reports. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported following the Cardinals' 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night, that Gray would entertain a trade this winter.

“I think I do, just to be frank and to be honest,” said Gray when asked if he has to consider waiving his no-trade clause. “I definitely think I do. Whether I do decide that I want to go somewhere – whether that actually happens – I don’t have complete control of that. Obviously, I have control of where I can’t go or don’t go. I’m going to be 36. It’s going to be my 14th season. Last year of my contract for this. I don’t know what the future holds for me."

Gray joined the Cardinals with the intention to win, and that hasn't happened. He still holds that desire. "I came here to win. I signed here two years ago with the expectation of winning and trying to win, and that hasn’t played out that way. I want to win. I want to win, and I expect to win.” This desire to win paired with the Cardinals continuing their rebuild has made him potentially willing to accept a trade.

Sonny Gray's willingness to accept a trade somewhere is the first piece of the puzzle; the second piece of the puzzle is finding a trade partner.

The line for teams looking to add a 36-year-old starter who is owed $35 million next year with a $30 million club option for 2027 won't be too long. However, there will still be teams to add a solid veteran starting pitcher with postseason experience to their rotation.

Sonny Gray is still a solid pitcher, having struck out 201 batters in 180.2 innings this year while posting a 4.28 ERA and a 3.39 FIP. He's become more home run prone these last few years, having given up 46 home runs total since joining the Cardinals, but he's also brought down his walk rate a decent amount. Gray is still a strong starting pitcher who could be a team's third starter in a playoff series.

Any team potentially interested in acquiring Gray would have to have a sizable payroll due to the financial commitments he's owed this year and potentially next year. The number of interested suitors is limited, but it isn't nonexistent.

Here are 3 teams who could be interested in trading for St. Louis Cardinals' starter Sonny Gray this offseason.

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.

Atlanta Braves

Sonny Gray accepting a trade to play for the Atlanta Braves has been an assumption by many since the Cardinals faltered in 2024. Dating back to last offseason, rumors surrounding a potential trade of Gray to Atlanta began to surface, and those rumors haven't gone anywhere since.

For starters, Atlanta is one of the closest teams to Gray's hometown in Tennessee. When he signed with the Cardinals, he stated that the location of St. Louis was convenient given its proximity to his home. The same reason could be applied to the Braves.

The Braves, who have been perennial National League pennant contenders since 2021, have taken a step back this year. They have a 75-84 record, and will miss the postseason for the first time since 2018. This hasn't set the organization back in its search for another World Series trophy. They'll look to fill in the gaps that were exposed this year over the winter to return to contention in 2026.

Matt Olson, Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, Austin Riley, and Drake Baldwin will all return next year. Chris Sale also has a club option for 2026, something the Braves will surely accept given his back-to-back Cy Young campaigns. The Braves are seeing their 2025 season as an anomaly rather than the beginning of their downfall. Therefore, they'll look to add reinforcements where necessary this winter.

Sonny Gray would be an excellent addition to their rotation, one that has been decimated by injuries this year. Spencer Schwellenbach will return from an elbow fracture next year, and Spencer Strider, who has struggled mightily this year, will hope to get back to form after this offseason. Those two pitchers, along with Sonny Gray and Chris Sale, would make for a potent starting rotation entering 2026.

Atlanta's proximity to Sonny Gray's hometown paired with their desire to return to contention and win again in 2026 makes it a fantastic match for Sonny Gray. He could help lead their push back to the top of the National League East next year with Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Spencer Schwellenbach. Atlanta would have to find some wiggle room in their already exorbitant payroll, but it's still possible for the Cardinals and Braves to find a match.

Cincinnati Reds

The proximity argument remains for the Cincinnati Reds. They, along with the Cardinals and Braves, are one of the closest teams to Sonny Gray's hometown. In fact, Gray could have signed with the Reds following the 2023 season, but he opted to sign with the Cardinals instead.

Gray also has ample familiarity with the Reds' organization. He spent three years with the Reds from 2019-2021. During that time, he posted a 3.49 ERA with a 10.6 K/9 rate, the highest of his career for any team he played with. Gray also managed to limit the home run ball despite Great American Ballpark being a launchpad.

The Reds have one of baseball's best rotations. They are ranked tenth in staff ERA at 3.86, ninth in FIP (3.97), and eleventh in K/9 (8.60). They have a staff ERA- of 87, fifth best in the league. Their staff consists of Hunter Greene, a true ace at this point in his career, Nick Lodolo, Zack Littell, Andrew Abbott, and Brady Singer.

Sonny Gray would be the most experienced pitcher on this staff by far, thus allowing him to continue in his leader/teacher role for the Reds. There is ample talent among those starters, so Cincinnati would have a strong rotation as they look to compete more in the division and throughout the National League.

The Reds have experienced their fair share of injuries this year to starters, including Rhett Lowder, and Wade Miley. They'll also lose Zack Littell, who posted a 3.86 ERA in 182 innings with a 6.28 K/9, to free agency this winter. Trading for Sonny Gray to fill Littell's spot would be a decent upgrade for their rotation.

The Reds may be more financially strained than they would like if they trade for Sonny Gray. Their payroll this year is around $120 million, and I wouldn't suspect that their ownership group would be interested in adding significant payroll given their market size. Additionally, the Reds may want to spend money this winter on offense given their team wRC+ of 92, 26th in the league.

Cincinnati's closeness to Tennessee paired with Gray's familiarity with the organization makes it an ideal landing spot for the starting pitcher. If he's willing to accept a trade back to the Reds, the Cardinals could pluck from a Reds' farm system that features six top-100 prospects.