Braves Called 'Potential Fit' To Trade For Cardinals $75 Million Star

St. Louis could be involved heavily in the trade market

Apr 16, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; A bucket of baseballs sits on the field prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

There will be plenty of chatter about the St. Louis Cardinals over the next few months.

Ideally, the chatter would be about who the club could bring in to hopefully make a run to the World Series in 2025. This doesn't seem like it's going to be the case, though. The Cardinals finished above .500 in 2024, but missed the playoffs for the second straight season and now it seems like changes are coming.

This doesn't mean that the Cardinals can't compete in 2025, it just means that they need to be more strategic. St. Louis could look to trade some high-priced players and then bank on cheaper options in free agency while adding prospects to the farm system.

One player who has been mentioned as a trade candidate is All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray. He had a 3.84 ERA in his first season in St. Louis and is entering the second year of a three-year, $75 million deal. Gray would be a hot commodity on the trade market if available and Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer called the Atlanta Braves a fit for him.

"No speculation is required here, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported in September that the Cardinals are planning to shop Sonny Gray this winter, Rymer said. "This is only a year after he signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the Cardinals, but that was under a different leadership structure and before the 34-year-old embarked on an up-and-down season that included some time on the injured list. Potential Fits: San Francisco Giants, Atlanta, Los Angeles Dodgers."

Atlanta may be in the market for a starter if Max Fried leaves and Gray may be on the trade market. It wouldn't be shocking to hear chatter about a possible move of this nature pick up over the next few months.

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