Cardinals Reportedly Outbid Division Rival To Win Sonny Gray Sweepstakes

St. Louis had competition to claim their ace but prevailed

Scott Neville | Nov 27, 2023

Cardinals Reportedly Outbid Division Rival To Win Sonny Gray Sweepstakes /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals made headlines on Monday morning for making a big splash -- acquiring right-hander Sonny Gray to lead their rotation into the 2024 season and beyond.

The bidding war reportedly was a close one as St. Louis successfully staved off an inter-division rival.

"According to a source, the (Cincinnati) Reds were pursuing Sonny Gray and were close before he went to the Cardinals on a reported 3-year, $75 million deal," MLB.com's Mark Sheldon wrote Monday.

Gray played for the Reds from 2019-2021 and posted a 3.49 ERA across 68 starts. The 33-year-old hurler collected one of his three All-Star nods in Cincinnati, as well as a seventh-place finish in American League Cy Young voting.

The right-hander's following tenure with the Minnesota Twins was even stronger -- 2.90 ERA in 56 starts across two seasons -- and he's now hoping to continue his dominance in a Cardinals uniform.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was wise to do what it took to land a frontline starter of Gray's caliber, especially if the dynamic veteran almost ended up in the hands of a division rival.

After a disappointing last-place finish in the National League Central, St. Louis is better off risking possibly overspending instead of staying conservative. That said, $25 million a year for a frontline starter in 2023 is far from ludicrous.

More MLB: Trade Involving Cardinals Gold Glove Winner Reportedly 'Could Be In Play'

Published Nov 27, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu