Bernie Show: Sonny Gray. Stay or Go?

This is the latest in my series that takes a look at players the St. Louis Cardinals could be willing to trade this offseason in advance of 2025. With the franchise entering a rebuilding phase, it makes sense to test the market to gauge the trade value of Cardinals such as Sonny Gray, Ryan Helsley, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Erick Fedde. Keep this in mind: Gray, Contreras and Arenado have full no-trade protection and can veto a proposed deal. Or each player could use their leverage to push the Cardinals to trade them to a preferred destination. Those no-trade agreements almost certainly would reduce the Cardinals' asking price in a trade.

Today I look at Sonny Gray. Does he stay or does he go? He's a very good pitcher who turns 35 next month. He also has two years remaining on a contract that will pay him $65 million over the next two seasons, and that figure includes a $5 million buy-out of Gray's 2027 option year. Gray may prefer to stay in St. Louis because of the city's easy proximity to Nashville, the home base for the Gray family. And of course it's easy for Gray to reject any trade unless it's a place he wants to go. From the Cardinals' standpoint, the quality of a trade proposal could determine the decision on their end. If Gray stays, the Cardinals have the makings of a decent rotation for 2025, and that can ease some of the pain that comes with a rebuild-type season.