Angels Reportedly Hoping To Contend In 2025; Could Cardinals $75 Million Ace Help?

The St. Louis hurler might not be safe from the trade block

Feb 28, 2018; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno against the Cleveland Indians at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have announced plans to prioritize player development over the big-league roster in 2025, diminishing playoff hopes.

The last two seasons have been incredibly challenging for Cardinals fans but hopefully, with new leadership taking over after next year, things will be different.

Rebuilding a franchise takes time and nobody should know that better than Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno, who is determined to see his club return to the postseason.

"Moreno claimed he intends to allow the Angels to increase their payroll this winter, albeit not to the levels they established in 2023, back when Shohei Ohtani was still on the roster," CBS Sports' R.J. Anderson reported Saturday. "His 'marching orders' to general manager Perry Minasian, he told the Register, are to 'build a team that can compete for a playoff spot.'"

Given that the Angels are willing to increase payroll this offseason and have their eyes set on returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, adding reigning American League Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray to their lackluster rotation might not be a bad idea.

Gray logged a 13-9 record with a 3.84 ERA, 203-to-39 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .228 batting average against and a 1.09 WHIP in 166 1/3 innings pitched for the Cardinals this season

His backloaded three-year, $75 million contract could be too high of a price tag for Moreno and the Angels but if they're willing to squeeze room for Gray in the payroll, trading for him would undoubtedly boost Los Angeles' chances of making the playoffs.

However, the Angels have the second-lowest farm system ranking in the league, so they might not have the prospect capital to trade for the Cardinals ace.

Even though Gray would be a fit for the Angels, who need a boost in the rotation, they likely don't have enough resources to trade for him and should pursue cheaper solutions to fix their starting pitching problem.

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