Early indications are that the Boston Red Sox will now prioritize offense in the wake of adding Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
The following note comes from MLBTradeRumors but links to original reporting from Chris Cotillo of MassLive and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat appears to free up the Sox to focus their attention on adding an impact hitter. Chris Cotillo of MassLive and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic each write that while further starting pitching adds are possible, the Red Sox are now likely to prioritize bringing in a power bat. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow left the door open to making another significant rotation move but reiterated the Sox’s interest in bolstering the lineup.
Let's look at this from all sides...
About GrayA 13-year veteran of the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and Cardinals, Gray is now 36 years old. He's gone 125-102 for his career, earning three All-Star appearances.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe finished second in the American League Cy Young voting in 2023 with the Twins.
This past season, Gray went 14-8 for St. Louis with a 4.28 ERA, though his FIP was just 3.39. He's made 28 starts or more in each of the last three seasons.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray (54) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Rick Scuteri-Imagn ImagesWhy this could make senseThe Red Sox said they wanted to go out and add an impact starting pitcher to place behind Garrett Crochet in the rotation, and Gray has certainly been that during the course of his career.
He's a three-time All-Star who finished second in the American League Cy Young voting just three seasons ago (2023).
Furthermore, Brayan Bello took a jump in 2025, going 11-9 with a 3.35 ERA in 29 games. If the Red Sox believe that jump is real, then they have just raised the floor of their rotation and given themselves a solid 1-2-3 that could compete in the playoffs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd then, this doesn't even include the overall rotation depth the Red Sox have in the form of Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Patrick Sandoval, and Kutter Crawford.
Why this doesn't make senseGray is 36. Can he really be counted on to provide 30+ starts of No. 2 stuff again? Or is this the year that he falls off the tracks?
Breslow said he wanted to add a clear No. 2 behind Crochet, and Gray isn't really that, at least he's not guaranteed to be anymore. Trading for Joe Ryan or Freddy Peralta would have given the Red Sox upside while maintaining youth.
The Red Sox are also paying Gray about $21 million for one year. Both of the pitchers above would have been cheaper.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhere the Red Sox go from hereApparently, they go to offense, and that could be in the form of Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, Kyle Schwarber or Alex Bregman. The winter meetings begin Dec. 7 and fans will wait anxiously to see Breslow maneuvers them.
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