Inside The Cardinals

Braves Called 'Most Obvious Fit' For Cardinals $75 Million Star

Will the Braves call the Cardinals about a major deal this winter?

Patrick McAvoy

Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; The Atlanta Braves logo painted on the field during a spring training baseball game at Champion Stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 10-5. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; The Atlanta Braves logo painted on the field during a spring training baseball game at Champion Stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 10-5. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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There will be some changes on the way for the St. Louis Cardinals this winter.

St. Louis took a step in the right direction in 2024, but clearly, it wasn't enough, and now the team is looking to make some changes. The Cardinals already announced that Chaim Blook will be the president of baseball operations once the 2025 season ends.

John Mozeliak will remain the team's president of baseball operations in 2025 and already has announced that he is expecting the team's payroll to go down. This already has led to plenty of speculation and reports that the team could look to trade some of their expensive veterans. St. Louis seems open for business, and Sonny Gray already has been mentioned as a trade candidate.

Gray will have a choice whether or not he is moved, as he has a no-trade clause, but this won't stop teams from pursuing him. He signed a three-year, $75 million deal ahead of the 2024 season and is under contract for the next two years at an affordable rate. Plenty of teams will get involved, and FanSided's Josh Jacobs mentioned the Atlanta Braves as a fit.

"The most obvious fit to me would be the Atlanta Braves and for a number of reasons," Jacobs said. "First, Atlanta is close to Gray's home in Nashville, Tennessee, which seemed to be a major factor in Gray's free agency this past offseason. The three teams linked to Gray the most were Atlanta, Cincinnati, and St. Louis, which happen to be the three clubs closest to Nashville geographically."

Could Gray go to the National League foe this winter? It certainly can't be ruled out.

More MLB: Blockbuster Trade Proposal Lands Cardinals $87 Million Star With Padres

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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