Cardinals' $75 Million Ace Linked To Growing Offseason Trade Buzz

The Cardinals could look to make a big move during the offseason...

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly headed toward a lengthy rebuild after years of mediocrity.

With this rebuild, the Cardinals and their front office will need to make some huge decisions, with a lot of these decisions revolving around potential trades this winter.

Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently suggested the Cardinals would look to trade Sonny Gray in the offseason, despite Gray's no-trade clause. Previously, Gray had expressed a desire to remain in St. Louis, but this could soon change in the offseason months.

Cardinals may look to trade Sonny Gray in the offseason

Sep 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) throws against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

"The St. Louis Cardinals are finally ready to admit they need to rebuild under the new leadership of Chaim Bloom, and it sounds like he's fully prepared to move on from multiple key contributors this offseason to accelerate that timeline," Jacobs wrote. "While Bloom will likely explore moving many players in an attempt to rebuild this organization into a contender, two names that we can confirm he is going to shop are Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado. Arenado has openly acknowledged the potential of a deal to the media this past week, but the news of Gray is both expected and fluid due to his prior desire to remain in St. Louis.

"When it comes to Gray though, he has remained steadfast in his desire to remain a member of the Cardinals' organization. Last offseason, he declined the opportunity to explore trades elsewhere, and he repeated his desire to stay in St. Louis at this year's trade deadline. But with one final guaranteed year on his contract next season, Gray may be open to a move elsewhere in order to have an opportunity to contend in 2026."

Trading Gray makes a lot of sense for the Cardinals. It would free up a spot in the rotation for a young pitcher like Quinn Mathews. It would also free up some money to spend on younger players.

But if Gray is unwilling to waive his no-trade clause, there's nothing the Cardinals can do. There haven't been any huge developments to indicate that he's more willing to do it now than a few months ago. Still, the Cardinals could have some conversations with the righty in an attempt to figure out how to make it work for both sides.

A trade would certainly fit the Cardinals' future much better than holding onto the veteran righty.

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