Cardinals Reportedly Place $75 Million Star On Trade Block, NL Central Foe Interested

St. Louis is preparing to hit the reset button this offseason

Apr 9, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are down to the final game of their season, which means the front office will shortly announce its offseason plans to the public.

This upcoming free agency will be monumental for the Cardinals, who must find a way to get back on track after reportedly losing their way over the last decade or so.

Even though St. Louis would ideally prefer to be a playoff contender next season, the organization needs a slight rebuild. This could mean that the Cardinals will look to unload significant room on payroll this winter by trading one of their highest-paid players.

"The St. Louis Cardinals, who will announce a series of personnel moves on Monday with Chaim Bloom taking on a greater role, plan to shop veteran starter Sonny Gray while reducing payroll," USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote Sunday. "Gray, who signed a three-year, $75 million contract last winter, has a full-no trade clause, with the Cincinnati Reds expected to be among the team aggressively pursuing him."

Gray has 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.

After signing the reigning American League Cy Young runner-up last offseason, Gray was expected to be the Cardinals' bonified ace. However, after starting out strong, the 34-year-old regressed as the season went on.

With the recent news emerging about the Cardinals shifting their focus from upgrading the big-league roster to player development, this news regarding Gray doesn't come as much of a surprise.

St. Louis has a young team that might take another season or two to click and retaining an expensive frontline starter nearing the end of his career doesn't make sense. Gray is signed through 2026 with the Cardinals and has a 2027 club option valued at $30 million.

Trading Gray would likely give the Cardinals a decent package in return, which could include a haul of top prospects and perhaps some help on offense. It would be a painful goodbye after excitingly acquiring the veteran hurler last winter but this could all be part of an inexperienced St. Louis roster's growing pains.

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