Sonny Gray Trade Keeps Looking Better for Cardinals

The deal appears to be working well for St. Louis and against the Red Sox.

Apr 20, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals kicked off their rebuild last winter by trading right-hander Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke. Gray had signed a three-year, $75 million contract with St. Louis after the 2023 season.

Gray won 14 games last season with the Cardinals and posted a 4.28 ERA. The trade made sense for St. Louis because Gray was entering the final year of his contract in 2026.

The 36-year-old right-hander made the start for Boston on Monday against the Detroit Tigers, but left the game due to a hamstring injury. He is now on the injured list, which makes the deal look even better for St. Louis.

Sonny Gray trade keeps looking better for St. Louis

Apr 14, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Cardinals certainly picked a good time to move on from Gray. After Monday's start, the three-time All-Star is 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA over five total starts.

While Clarke and Fitts are both on the injured list, there is a little more upside for the Cardinals in this trade. Both pitchers are under club control for several more years, whereas Gray's contract expires at the end of this season.

The Cardinals are also off to a 13-9 start this season, which is far better than what was expected out of them, while Boston is 9-13 and sitting at the bottom of the American League East.

If the Red Sox are out of the race at the trade deadline, then they could potentially look to trade Gray for prospects as part of a possible fire sale. But in the Cardinals' case, the deal is actually looking quite favorable.

They got what they needed in that deal, which is more pitching depth. While they could always use more, it's better to have more depth than to currently be dealing with a starter on the injured list.

The Cardinals may be focused on the future, but it continues to look better for them now that they have replenished their pitching depth, and so too does the Gray trade.

It will be interesting to see where these two clubs are later in the season, but the Cardinals may have dodged a bullet by trading Gray and shifting their focus to the future rather than holding onto him for one more season.

Instead, the Cardinals will put their faith in their young arms such as Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy.