Cardinals’ Sonny Gray Gets Honest About St. Louis Future, Retirement

The Cardinals star opened up...

Sep 18, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals had one of their worst seasons in recent memory in 2023.

St. Louis finished the year with a 71-91 record and was in last place in the National League Central. The Cardinals were at a crossroads and needed to add pitching after the rough year. Once the offseason arrived and free agency kicked off, the Cardinals struck quickly and made a few moves, including signing three-time All-Star Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million deal. 

The Cardinals may not have made the playoffs last year, but they were in the hunt until late in the summer and finished the year with an 83-79 record and were tied for second place in the division with the Chicago Cubs.

Gray was a big reason why and finished the season with a 3.84 ERA and a 13-9 record. Gray had a 203-to-89 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 166 1/3 innings pitched.

There were rumors early in the offseason that he could be traded but they were quickly followed up by other reports that he didn’t want to leave and made that clear. 

Gray clearly wanted to be in town and could’ve used a no-trade clause if a deal popped up. The Cardinals are lucky to have him, but for how much longer? 

He now is 35 years old and opened up about the possibility of retirement and his baseball future to MLB.com’s John Denton. 

"Well, I'm still doing it," Gray said as transcribed by Denton. "I guess the hardest part is leaving [my Middle Tennessee home] and coming to spring. You're always like, ‘I don't know.’ But once you get into it, you understand how enjoyable it is, and not only for yourself. My family still enjoys it, and as long as my family enjoys it -- my kids and my wife -- then we'll keep doing it...

"I think you peak as a pitcher when you get into your low- to mid-30s, so we'll see how the high-30s go. Being who I am with my (smaller) stature, as long as I take care of my body, I’ll be fine. Mentally, I think I'm as strong as ever with the repetitions I've made. But with the pitching, I still feel strong."

No matter what happens in 2025, the Cardinals are fortunate to have Gray as a member of the organization.

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