1 week Ago By Tom Carothers
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to shed salary, and a proposed deal with the San Diego Padres could help both teams achieve their respective goals. Matt Snyder of CBS Sports delved into the possibility of the Cardinals shipping starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Padres, noting that St.
Louis' current staff ace would fit nicely into San Diego's rotation. The Padres will be without reliable starter Joe Musgrove, who is out for the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. Conversely, the Cardinals have indicated that the organization will engage in a full-blown "reboot," according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
Gray has spun a solid Major League Baseball career into riches but seems to have priced his way out of St. Louis' future plans. The Cardinals signed him away from the Minnesota Twins after the 2023 season with a three-year, $75 million contract through 2026, with a team option for 2027.
That pact netted Gray just $10 million for 2024 when he went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA. However, the amount owed him jumps to $25 million for 2025 and $35 million for 2026.
The Cardinals are looking to rebuild a roster rife with bloated veteran contracts after going 71-91 in 2023 and 83-79 in 2024. While Padres president of baseball operations A.J.
Preller hasn't shied away from big contracts in the past, Snyder figures that St. Louis would have to eat a portion of the money owed to Gray going forward to make a deal happen. A 12-year MLB veteran, Gray's statistics are not eye-popping.
However, he has a track record as a durable and reliable arm who has started an average of 25-plus games per season with a career ERA of 3.51. Those are just the kind of numbers that could look pretty good as they seek to fill the hole left by Musgrove's convalescence this coming season.
More MLB: Rangers in play for former Cy Young winner to rebuild World Series-winning staff.
