Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Predicted To Cut Ties With $75 Million Ace In Huge Trade

Will the Cardinals trade any of their star players?
Zach Pressnell|
Sep 18, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) points to the crowd as he walks to the dugout after he was removed from the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 18, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) points to the crowd as he walks to the dugout after he was removed from the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals could look to trade some of their star players this season, but a lot of the speculation revolves around players on expiring contracts like Erick Fedde and Ryan Helsley. With the Cardinals unlikely to re-sign these players after the season, it would make sense to trade them.

But there's growing trade speculation revolving around a Cardinals player with multiple more years of team control on his deal.

FanSided's John Buhler recently suggested the Cardinals could cut ties with their ace, Sonny Gray, in a massive trade this season.

"Not only would Gray command some prospects of note should he be shopped to a contender, but there is more than meets the eye than the two years currently left on his Cardinals deal," Buhler wrote. "That contract comes with a team option for 2027, meaning St. Louis or anyone else could retain him for one more season at $30 million a pop if he has a dominant campaign either this year or next.

"For so many reasons, a team option is a far better trade asset than a player option because the team is obviously more in control. In short, a contending team potentially dealing for Gray would be getting for the rest of 2026, all of 2027, and maybe even potentially all of 2028. A player of Gray's caliber could drastically improve a contending team's rotation, and St. Louis is not one."

Gray has two years left on his deal before a club option in 2027. With that in mind, the Cardinals don't need to trade him.

But Gray's been good again this year and he could garner some serious trade attention. A team like the Baltimore Orioles could use a controllable ace like the Cardinals' righty. The Boston Red Sox could be a suitor if the Cardinals deal him.

All in all, the odds of Gray being traded aren't nearly as high as Fedde or Helsley. But if a team is willing to send St. Louis a serious prospect haul this season, the righty could be dealt before the trade deadline.

More MLB: Cardinals Could Deal Away Two Stars In Massive Trade With AL Contender

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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