Sonny Gray May Have Made Mistake Waiving No-Trade Clause for Boston

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to play strong baseball this season. The team is rebuilding, yet somehow contending after making several trades in the offseason.

Sonny Gray was the first player they shipped out. St. Louis sent him to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke.

However, with the trade deadline close and St. Louis in contention while Boston has fallen out of the race, Bob Nightengale of USA Today proposed something interesting regarding Gray and the Cardinals.

"I'm sure he'd love to get traded back to St. Louis," Nightengale said on "Foul Territory."

Did Gray make mistake leaving St. Louis?

iJun 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Cardinals are still playing well. Even after losing a series to the Kansas City Royals, this team remains in the playoff hunt and at the top of the wild card race. A potential reunion with Gray would be an interesting approach.

It's possible that he could have made a mistake waiving his no-trade clause to leave St. Louis. The Cardinals are in playoff position, while the Red Sox are well out of contention and sit in last place in the American League East at 31-45.

The idea of the trade was that Gray was going to pitch for a contender instead of stay on a rebuilding team. But strangely, the rebuilding team is playing much better than the Red Sox right now.

However, it's important to remember that the Cardinals are still in year one of a rebuild. While it may not cost too much to land Gray in a trade, the Red Sox will still likely want prospects in exchange, and the Cardinals currently need more prospects.

Now is not the time for them to be buying at the trade deadline. If they do anything, the best path forward for 2026 is to sell off pieces on expiring contracts, and potentially even see what they can get for closer Riley O'Brien.

The roster is set up much better to sell, and trading for Gray would only interrupt their plans to rebuild. Chaim Bloom has made clear that the long-term goals will be prioritized at this time. Ultimately, that is the right approach, and the Cardinals can't afford to deviate from it.

Gray would improve the rotation drastically, but that is a move geared towards short-term success, and that is not where the Cardinals need to be right now. Gray is a free agent at the end of the season, and it doesn't make sense for the Cardinals to trade prospects for a rental, at least for this season.

It will be interesting to see where the Cardinals go with their moves at the deadline, if they make any moves for that matter, but a trade for Gray is highly unlikely, and it's not something that fans should get their hopes up for.

The Cardinals will still be an interesting team to watch at the deadline, however.

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