San Francisco Giants Linked to Former All-Star Pitcher From Cardinals

Could the San Francisco Giants trade for a former All-Star pitcher?

Sep 18, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

It was a disappointing season for the San Francisco Giants, once again missing the playoffs, as the franchise falls further into mediocrity. 

Recently, they made some big changes in the front office that they hope will help rectify things, with Buster Posey took over as President of Baseball Operations. It won’t be an easy job for Posey, as there is a lot of work to do to fix San Francisco. 

This offseason, there will be a few decisions that will be paramount. First, finding a bat and preferably a superstar will be the number one goal. Luring a star to the Giants has been something that the franchise has failed in the last few offseasons, but they are hoping that Posey will be the guy who can do it. 

While a lot of attention will be focused on improving the lineup, the pitching staff will also look a bit different. Left-hander Blake Snell will likely be opting out of his contract and testing free agency again this offseason after essentially signing a one-year deal with San Francisco last offseason. 

Even though it wasn’t a great overall season for the southpaw, it was a really strong second half of the season, which should result in him getting a significant multi-year deal. While the Giants certainly might look to retain him, they might be more focused on adding a bat in free agency. 

However, that will leave a void in their starting rotation. Recently Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report linked Sonny Gray of the St. Louis Cardinals as a potential trade target for San Francisco. 

With the Cardinals seemingly looking to head into a retool or rebuild, Gray could be one of the top pitchers available on the market. Last year, Gray totaled a 13-9 record and 3.84 ERA for St. Louis. 

At 34-years-old, Gray is getting up there age-wise, but he has a few years left on his contract with a team option for 2027. Since the Cardinals might be looking to shed salary and rebuild, paying a 34-year-old pitcher over $20 million a year doesn’t make much sense. 

If the Giants are looking to compete, adding Gray would give them another solid pitcher at the top of their rotation to pair with Logan Webb. While he might be expensive, it might not cost them as much in terms of prospects or assets.  

This potential move certainly makes sense for San Francisco if they are still looking to win.