Why Cardinals Need To Call Mets About Sonny Gray Trade

If the St. Louis Cardinals are going to trade Sonny Gray away, there surely are teams out there that would be willing to pay a pretty penny for him.

Gray is expensive. He signed a three-year, $75 million deal with St. Louis and is owed $35 million in 2026. But, there isn't a long-term commitment involved with him. He has a $30 million club option for 2027 that is fully in the hands of the Cardinals -- or another team if he is traded away.

When it comes to Gray, the trade conversation is more difficult than it is with someone like Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals have a handful of infielders and Arenado's bat has taken a step back. Gray is expensive, but the Cardinals don't have as much pitching depth behind him. Plus, the Cardinals realistically weren't that far out of playoff contention. The final Wild Card team was the Cincinnati Reds at 83-79, whereas the Cardinals had a 78-84 record. Do you really want to blow up the whole roster?

We'll see. But, if the Cardinals do opt to trade Gray, one team that they should call is the New York Mets. Gray has a no-trade clause in his deal so he controls his destiny, but the Mets are at least an intriguing team from the perspective of the Cardinals' front office.

The Cardinals need to call the Mets

Sep 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

New York had a disaster of a finish to the 2025 season and pitching arguably is the biggest reason why. The Mets had the 18th-ranked starting rotation ERA in baseball at 4.13. That's not too bad, but injuries impacted the team down the stretch as well. The Mets had to rely on young guys as the season winded down and even sent Kodai Senga down to the minors at one point. All in all, the rotation was a mess.

The Mets have the most money of any team in baseball and handed Juan Soto the biggest deal in MLB history. If there ever was a team to invest in an aging and expensive starting pitcher with All-Star upside, it would be the Mets. After giving out that big deal to Soto, they can't afford to wait around and not invest in the team further. That's why the Cardinals should give the Mets a call, after such a brutal end to the season, maybe New York would be willing to overpay the three-time All-Star.

Again, a deal couldn't happen unless Gray wanted to approve a trade. But, the Mets are a team the Cardinals should call, at least.

More MLB: Cardinals $260M Slugger Deemed 'Most Likely' Trade Chip