Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Predicted To Cut Ties With $75M Star In Surprise Move

Will the Cardinals end up trading the star hurler away this winter?

Patrick McAvoy

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
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The St. Louis Cardinals have some players that certainly are of interest to other teams.

St. Louis is nearing a rebuild but may not be able to alter the organization as much as the front office wants. The Cardinals want to go younger and trim the payroll. One player who has been mentioned as a trade candidate is ace Sonny Gray.

He signed a three-year, $75 million deal and has two more years on it. Gray has a no-trade clause, though, and it has been reported that he is interested in staying in St. Louis rather than being moved. While this is the case, FanSided's Zach Pressnell predicted he won't stay with the Cardinals.

"If there is one player that's consistently found himself mixed up in St. Louis' trade rumors, it's their starting pitcher Sonny Gray, whom they inked to a massive contract when they brought him to the team," Pressnell said. "Now, Gray is on the back end of his career and the Cardinals have no clear path to winning while he's under contract, so keeping him until his contract runs up just doesn't make sense for the Cardinals or Gray...

"The veteran righty has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he could only be moved if he approved the deal. Obviously, this toughens the market quite a bit, but it's still an absolute no-brainer that the Cardinals find a team to take him. Trading him would do three things for the Cardinals. It would clear money off their books. It would bring prospects in. And it would clear the way for a top prospect like Tink Hence to slot into the big league rotation."

There has been rumblings that Gray wants to stay, but could he change his mind?

More MLB: Cardinals Star Advised To End Stint With St. Louis By Signing With Astros

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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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