Sonny Gray struggles to muster excitement about state of the Cardinals

We all know that Sonny Gray is a calculating individual when it comes to baseball. Whether he's warming up, playing soft toss, or pitching in the postseason, Sonny Gray is the same person: intense, stoic, professional, and dialed in.

The St. Louis Cardinals' resident ace has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since 2015, and he's earned every right to be a leader of the sport. He'll also be a leader of a starting rotation that will be younger in 2025, his second year in St. Louis. Gray will lead a staff that will include young pitchers like Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, and maybe even top prospect Quinn Mathews next year. This is a task that he's up for.

However, when it comes to discussing the Cardinals' offseason, Gray isn't as excited or inspired.

In an interview with Jim Hayes of FanDuel Sports Midwest, Gray appeared to be as unenthusiastic as the rest of the fanbase when reflecting on the quiet offseason.

"You say a reset I guess. What does that mean? Like it's not like we unloaded everybody. We just didn't sign the people who were free agents back and didn't add any free agents so far. So I don't know. Only time will tell. I am getting more and more excited a little bit. I mean this is day what two or three in spring at 7 o'clock in the morning. I'm getting more and more excited each day that I'm here just for baseball in general. Only time will tell kind of how this goes for us."

Sonny Gray

Sonny Gray's feelings on the Cardinals offseason encapsulate what fans have been feeling for months now.

We all knew this offseason would be different. Spending money on veteran free agents wasn't feasible for the organization anymore. Payroll had to be cut to make up for losses related to a new pitching lab in Jupiter, Florida, and a discounted TV rights deal. Free agents like Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, Paul Goldschmidt, and Andrew Kittredge didn't necessarily have spots on the roster given the youth movement that the front office is looking to employ in 2025.

However, the only additions the Cardinals have made to their roster this offseason have been a splattering of minor-league contracts, a trade for a 28-year-old utility player with only 10 major-league at-bats, and a flyer on a 34-year-old reliever who once was a solid back-end reliever.

Those aren't moves that will inspire a fanbase or a roster of players.

We all know that Sonny Gray is typically a stoic man, and interviewing someone at the crack of dawn before a day of hard work won't breed excitement and energy. However, Gray clearly was left wanting more out of the offseason, and that simply didn't happen.

Sure, several coaches, instructors, and executives were hired this offseason to fill in gaps that have been growing over the last half decade in the organization, but seeing the major-league roster being neglected the way it was is not something even Sonny Gray expected.

"Only time will tell" is the operative phrase in Gray's interview; young players like Michael McGreevy, Andre Pallante, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Lars Nootbaar are entering vital seasons. If they can step up and prove that they are ready to play capably in the majors, the Cardinals' "reset" will be successful. If they falter, this reset may become a full-blown rebuild before we know it.