Cardinals deal Sonny Gray to the Red Sox in blockbuster trade

It’s official. According to John Heyman, the St. Louis Cardinals have traded Sonny Gray and $20 million to the Boston Red Sox. MLB insider Jeff Passan has revealed the return to be pitching prospects Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts. This makes the two teams trade partners once again, having dealt Steven Matz to Boston at the deadline for Blaze Jordan. With new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom coming from the Boston Red Sox, he has plenty of information on Boston’s prospects.

Fitts is a right-handed pitcher who was ranked as the Red Sox' 12th best prospect in 2024. He made four starts for the team in 2024 and pitched well, posting a 1.74 ERA. In 2025, Fitts made 11 appearances, 10 of them being starts. He put together a 2-4 record with a 5.00 ERA. Fitts will be 26 years old heading into the 2026 season.

As for Clarke, he’s yet to debut in the big leagues but was their fifth best prospect in 2025, above starter Connelly Early, who pitched well for the Red Sox towards the end of the season. Clarke is a tall left-handed pitcher who most recently pitched in A+. The 22-year-old offers another pitching prospect for the Cardinals to develop in their system. Last season in the minors, Clarke had a 4.03 ERA in 14 starts.

On the surface, this seems like a solid return for the Cardinals, as Gray had one year remaining on his contract and a club option for the following season. Although $20 million is a lot, getting value back for Gray while he doesn’t fit the current timeline of the team is key, and him waiving his no-trade clause allowed St. Louis to do that. That said, the amount of money involved in the deal likely takes St. Louis out of pricey free agent spending. Although he was a great signing and a great Cardinal, it just didn't make a lot of sense to keep him.

Now, all eyes shift to Nolan Arenado as the Cardinals are most likely to trade him this offseason as well. That said, Brendan Donovan’s name has been involved in plenty of trade rumors this offseason, and Willson Contreras could be traded also. Nevertheless, it’s encouraging for Cardinals fans to see their new president of baseball operations being active and searching for good deals on the market. It provides plenty of hope for the team’s direction in the coming years.