Red Sox Predicted To Acquire Cardinals $75 Million Star In Unexpected Blockbuster

Would this elevate the Red Sox to contender status?

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

There are numerous ways to improve a pitching staff, and the Boston Red Sox are currently exploring all of them.

Following a disappointing second half and a mediocre 81-81 finish, the Red Sox and their fans are starving for a playoff berth in 2025. Ownership and the front office are pledging to pull out all the stops to improve the roster this winter, and starting pitching is the top item on the agenda.

While free agency is the straightest path to finding a new ace, the Red Sox should also keep their eye on the trade market this winter. Thanks to their well-stocked farm system, Boston has an advantage over just about every other team when it comes to putting together trade packages.

One hurler who has been the subject of trade speculation this winter is Sonny Gray of the St. Louis Cardinals. After a disappointing season in the National League Central, St. Louis may be looking to move on from its expensive stars to inject some youth into the roster.

Zach Pressnell of FanSided recently predicted that the Red Sox would trade for Gray thanks to missing out on bigger stars like Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, and Juan Soto in free agency.

But sadly for Boston, they're going to be too busy chasing Corbin Burnes and Juan Soto to land Fried. Fried is likely to be the first pitcher signed off the market because he's not represented by agent Scott Boras.

Gray, 35, is a solid fallback plan if that's what he becomes, but it will be interesting to see whether he can still be an ace in his mid-30s. He got off to a fantastic start last season, the first of his three-year, $75 million deal with St. Louis, but tailed off at the end and wound up with a 3.84 ERA.

St. Louis, which is getting ready to hand the keys to former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, seems to be entering a short-term rebuild, so Gray could be on the table. However, the righty has a no-trade clause, and while it may only be posturing, he's signaled publicly that he's not willing to be moved.

The Red Sox may have grander plans for themselves, but adding a three-time All-Star to your starting rotation is never a bad thing. We'll all have to see if Pressnell's intuition about Boston missing on the major free agents is correct.

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