The Boston Red Sox announced on Tuesday that they have finalized a deal to acquire veteran right-hander Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan posted: “The Boston Red Sox are acquiring right-hander Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, sources tell ESPN. Red Sox get the veteran who said he would waive his no-trade clause to leave. First on the news was @JonHeyman”
Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal: “Source confirms: Sonny Gray traded from Cardinals to Red Sox. Contract being reworked to one-year plus mutual option. 2026 salary will be $31M, mutual option buyout of $10M. Gray essentially getting $41M for one year.”
Multiple outlets reported Tuesday that Boston is sending pitching prospects Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to St. Louis, while the Cardinals will cover $20 million of Gray’s remaining salary. The trade also required a contract adjustment: Gray will now earn $31 million for 2026, followed by a 2027 mutual option worth $30 million with a $10 million buyout. He had previously been lined up for $35 million in 2026 with a $30 million team option for 2027. Gray waived his no-trade clause to complete the move.
Gray, 36, posted a 14–8 record and a 4.28 ERA across 32 starts last season, striking out 201 batters after surpassing 200 strikeouts the previous year as well. A three-time All-Star and runner-up for the 2023 AL Cy Young Award, he logged a 13-year résumé with a 125–102 record and 3.58 ERA through more than 330 career starts spanning stints with Oakland, the Yankees, Cincinnati, Minnesota and St. Louis. His 14 wins last season tied a personal best.
Fitts, 25, made his MLB debut in Boston last season, going 2–4 with a 5.00 ERA in 10 starts after previously being acquired from the Yankees. Clarke, 22, a 2024 fifth-round pick, showed high-end velocity — occasionally touching 100 mph — and struck out 60 in 38 innings in Class A, though he also issued 27 walks while posting a 4.03 ERA. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said of the incoming pitchers, “[Fitts] has already begun his big league career, and with his power stuff and willingness to attack the strike zone, he has the ability to start games at the highest level for many years,” adding that both prospects could become long-term contributors.
Boston reached the postseason in 2025 for the first time since 2021 before being eliminated by the Yankees in the Wild Card Series. St. Louis, meanwhile, is coming off a 78–84 season and has now missed the playoffs three straight years.
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