Red Sox Snatched Sonny Gray Right Out From Underneath NL Contender

The Boston Red Sox certainly made a good move bringing Sonny Gray to town.

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 Boston Red Sox's starting rotation is going to look significantly different by the time the 2026 season rolls around.

Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello will be in the starting rotation on Opening Day, but the rest of the rotation will look different. The Red Sox brought Sonny Gray to town in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, signed Ranger Suárez and acquired Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With Opening Day under one month away, more and more details have come out from the offseason. For example, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Atlanta Braves were a team that were interested in Gray, but Boston made a better offer.

"The idea of adding a playoff-caliber starter earlier in the offseason, before Schwellenbach got hurt, was to knock López down to the fifth spot. Brandon Woodruff and Sonny Gray were among the pitchers Anthopoulos pursued, according to people briefed on the Braves’ activity. Anthopoulos also checked in on righty Freddy Peralta before the NL East rival New York Mets acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers. But no deal for a starter came to fruition. ...

The Red Sox made a good call getting Sonny Gray

Sep 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) strikes out San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge (not pictured) for his two hundredth strike out for the season during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

"For Gray, the St. Louis Cardinals wanted a package that included a major-league ready starter, a request that gave the Braves pause, considering their lack of depth. The Red Sox met the ask, sending right-hander Richard Fitts, along with lefty prospect Brandon Clarke and a player to be named or cash, with the Cardinals including $20 million to offset Gray’s salary."

Gray was a big get for Boston. The Red Sox sent a package to St. Louis headlined by Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts. Gray was the first big addition of the offseason for Boston in an offseason of change. He's a three-time All-Star with a career 3.58 ERA.

He's going to help Boston in 2026. But it just goes to show how different things could've been. Fortunately for the Red Sox, they got aggressive and were able to get a deal over the finish line before another team, like the Braves could've made a better offer.