Sonny Gray Reportedly Traded to Red Sox, Boston's Updated Lineup and World Series Odds

The St. Louis Cardinals have traded right-handed starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Gray waived his on-trade clause to facilitate the deal, and MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported the Red Sox will receive $20 million from the Cardinals as part of the agreement.

Here is the updated projected Red Sox starting rotation with Gray in the fold:

• Garrett Crochet, LHP
• Brayan Bello, RHP
• Sonny Gray, RHP
• Connelly Early, LHP
• Kutter Crawford, RHP

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Red Sox are currently +1700 to win the World Series.

The trade comes as no surprise for a few reasons.

First, the Cardinals have now gone three straight seasons without a playoff appearance for the first time since 2016-2018. However, St. Louis has also gone 22 games under .500 during that stretch, including 78-84 in 2025.

Simply put, St. Louis needs to press the reset button.

Second, it's clear Gray was open to a trade, even if he had to waive his no-trade clause.

"I came here to win," Gray said, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I signed here two years ago with the expectation of winning and trying to win, and that hasn't played out that way. I want to win. And I expect to win."

The 36-year-old Gray has played 13 MLB seasons for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and Cardinals. He's a three-time All-Star who has finished top seven in the Cy Young race on three occasions, including second in the AL in 2023 with the Twins.

Last season, his second with the Cardinals, Gray went 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA over 32 starts, striking out 201 batters in 180.2 innings.

Gray landed in St. Louis during the offseason between the 2023 and 2024 campaigns after signing a three-year, $75 million contract with a 2027 team option.

The right-hander has mostly fared well for the Redbirds, although his 4.28 ERA was the highest he's posted since a 4.90 ERA mark in 2018 with the Yankees.

Still, he's a productive starter who has struck out more than 200 batters in each of his last two seasons. It's no surprise there was interest on the trade market for Gray, and now he's found another MLB home.

Certainly, Gray hopes the Red Sox will find more success than he's been accustomed to over the past few seasons with St. Louis as he hopes to make his first-ever World Series.

With the move, Boston lands a much-needed starter to plug in behind Crochet and Bello to boost their rotation. Gray's age likely means he won't be returning to the level he was in 2023, but a mid-rotation arm who can be relied on to make at least 25 starts in a season and average more than nine strikeouts per nine innings pitched is incredibly valuable for a team expected to be in the playoff mix.