St. Louis Cardinals Set to Designate Offseason Acquisition as Opening Day Starter
After signing a three-year deal (plus an option) with the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason, right-hander Sonny Gray is set to earn his fourth career Opening Day start.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the formal announcement will come soon.
The Cardinals have set his spring training pitching schedule for the purpose of naming Gray their opening day starter. If he remains on schedule, the centerpiece addition of the winter will make his Cardinals' debut at Dodger Stadium against the Dodgers on March 28.
An official announcement from the club is expected in the near future.
Signing Gray was part of a concerted effort on the Cardinals part to improve their starting pitching. After finishing last in the National League Central last season, the team signed Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
Gray is is coming off an excellent year in Minnesota, where he was named an American League Cy Young finalist. The 34-year-old went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA and helped the Twins win the American League Central. They also won a playoff series, beating the Toronto Blue Jays in the wild card round.
Gray has pitched 11 seasons in the big leagues with the A's, Yankees, Reds and Twins. He's 98-85 lifetime with a 3.47 ERA. He is a three-time All-Star.
When Gray takes the mound against the Dodgers on Opening Day, he'll be doing so in one of the most anticipated regular season games in recent memory. That will be the day that Shohei Ohtani makes his stateside debut with Los Angeles after signing a 10-year deal this offseason.
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