Two Teams Cardinals Should Call About Sonny Gray Right Now

The St. Louis Cardinals’ biggest decision for the starting rotation this offseason centers around the future of Sonny Gray.

The three-time All-Star is under contract for the 2026 season and is owed $35 million. He also has a $30 million club option for the 2027 campaign. St. Louis will have to determine whether it should try to build a young rotation around him as its veteran or look to see what it could get in a trade for him.

The ball isn’t fully in St. Louis’ court, though, as Gray has a no-trade clause. Towards the end of the regular season, Gray at least opened the door to the idea of waiving the no-trade clause. If that were to happen, who could the Cardinals target? Two teams that should get called are the Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles as soon as possible. Deals won't start to get done until closer to the Winter Meetings, but it would be good to get the ball rolling early.

The Cardinals should at least consider a move

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

Atlanta Braves
This one is easy. Atlanta had a disaster of a 2025 season that saw the club finish the season with a 76-86 record. That actually was worse than the Cardinals at 78-84. But, the Braves' rotation dealt with injuries all season, including to Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Spencer Schwellenbach.

Gray is someone on a short-term deal who hasn't made fewer than 24 starts in a season since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Before that, the last time was 2016. The extra kicker is the fact that Gray has said in the past he wants to be near his Nashville home. Atlanta is about as close as you can get when it comes to an MLB team's proximity to Nashville.

Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles aren't as simple as the Braves. Baltimore also had a rough 2025 season that saw the club finish with a 75-87 record despite high expectations heading into the season. Baltimore struggled for years as it developed its young core. Now, guys like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Jackson Holliday are all full-blown major leaguers among others. There's only so much time before this roster is going to get much more expensive.

They need to capitalize now and the rotation didn't cut it last year. Baltimore had the 24th-ranked rotation ERA at 4.65. The Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes before the 2024 season and then went on to win 91 games. Adding Gray would be a step in that direction and they still have a solid farm system that could make it worth it for St. Louis.

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