The Cardinals are entering a multi-year rebuilding period in which they focus more on strengthening their farm system and player development apparatus than on winning games at the Major League level. That’s a pivot that started last winter, but several key veteran players with no-trade clauses wanted to stay with the organization for the 2025 season and try to win in St. Louis. With a 78-84 season in the books and Chaim Bloom now officially taking over John Mozeliak’s spot in the baseball operations department, those same veterans are softening their stance on the possibility of a trade.
Perhaps the most interesting of this veteran is right-handed Son Graywho will enter the final year of his contract in 2026. Gray is coming off a down season and turns 36 in November, but his 4.28 ERA in 32 starts was still around league average this year with much stronger peripheral numbers than that. He struck out 26.7% of his opponents, walked just 5.0% and had the sixth-lowest SIERA in baseball among qualified starters this year with a 3.29 grade that trailed only behind. Pull Skubal, Garrett hook, Christopher Sanchez, Paul SkenesAnd Logan Webb this year.
That’s good company, considering all five of these players could potentially become finalists for their respective league’s Cy Young award this year, and should help ease concerns about Gray’s ability to compete at a high level in his mid-30s. Few pitchers have a recent track record more impressive than the veteran right-hander, all things considered. In 116 starts since the start of the 2022 season, Gray has a 3.53 ERA, a 26.6% strikeout rate and a 3.17 FIP in 650 2/3 innings of work. It’s the kind of production that just about any team could use in their rotation, but there are complicating factors when considering a trade for Gray.
The right-hander has a full no-trade clause that he can exercise at his discretion, and Gray is due a $35 million salary in 2026 with a $5 million buyout on a mutual option dating from 2027. That’s a hefty salary that quite a few clubs simply can’t handle, and the fact that Gray has shown a preference for pitching in smaller markets throughout his career could mean he’s would use a no-trade clause against some of the bigger market franchises that could eat up his salary. The Cardinals are open to paying down salaries in trades this winter, but it’s unclear if they would be willing to pay down enough to bring smaller market clubs into the mix for Gray’s services.
Which clubs are the best fit for the experienced pitcher from St. Louis? Here’s a look at nine potential suitors, listed alphabetically within levels:
Best fits
- Brave: One of the clear best suits for Gray’s services is Atlanta, which was reportedly involved with Gray when he was a free agent two seasons ago. Since then, the Braves have struggled to stay healthy and even fell out of the playoffs this year, largely due to a rotation that was desperately lacking. Max Fried‘s stabilizing presence after he left for the Yankees last winter. Atlanta has never been the kind of club to spend hundreds of millions on a top prospect in free agency, so unless they change course this year, they’ll have to get creative to add some security to a rotation where all of the established players have spent significant time on the injured list this year. Bringing Gray into the ranks could be just that kind of creativity, and Alex Anthopoulos has long been comfortable bringing in veterans (like Marcell Ozuna, Josh DonaldsonAnd Charlie Morton) on short-term contracts with high salaries.
- giants: The Giants need more than just Logan Webb, Robbie RayAnd Landen Roupp in their rotation next year, and Gray would make a lot of sense for that role. Gray was actually linked to San Francisco as a potential trade target in September. Part of that report was based on Gray’s connection to former Giants manager Bob Melvin, who has since been fired, but the Giants are still one of the few clubs that can afford the majority of Gray’s salary within their projected budget. Gray also had a lot of success pitching for the A’s in Oakland, so a return to the Bay Area might appeal to him even without Melvin in the fold.
- Orioles: The Orioles, like the Braves, were pushed out of contention early this year largely due to a lack of pitching depth. There is virtually no certainty about the club’s 2026 rotation beyond that Trevor Rogersand president of baseball operations Mike Elias has shown a strong preference for short-term additions when bringing in players making significant dollars. That could make Gray a wise choice after a season in which Baltimore paid more than $41 million combined Tomoyuki Sugano, Zach Eflinand Morton for mediocre performances. While the Orioles are a lower-budget club than most of the teams mentioned here, St. Louis’ willingness to eat salary could make Gray less of a financial burden than comparable weapons in free agency.
Next level down
- Athletics: Gray played parts of five seasons for the Oakland Athletics after they drafted him 18th overall in the 2011 draft. In that time, he posted a 3.42 ERA and 3.56 FIP over 705 innings of work. Gray was eventually dealt to the Yankees, and in the years since, the A’s have been pushed out of Oakland and moved to West Sacramento. However, that move was accompanied by a higher wage bill and a more sincere attempt to compete than in previous years of reconstruction, and a core of Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Shea LangeliersAnd Tyler Soderstrom looks ready to compete in the playoffs. What they need to do that is pitching, and Gray has a head start in the rotation and experience playing in unfriendly pitching environments like Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. Had Gray been available last season, the A’s might have been a wiser fit, but as it stands, it’s unclear whether the A’s plan to further increase payroll after last season’s spending left them with an 86-loss campaign.
- Parents: There’s no team that comes to mind faster than the Padres when discussing creative trade proposals, and that’s entirely thanks to the efforts of president of baseball operations AJ Preller. Preller is by far the most active and aggressive manager in baseball, and this winter he will be tasked with replacing him Dylan stops And Michael King at the top of the rotation, despite a relative lack of budgetary space. Adding someone like Gray to the rotation next to him Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Randy VasquezAnd JP Sears would be a huge help in stabilizing the situation, but there are obvious obstacles here. For starters, the Cardinals would probably have to be willing to eat the vast majority of Gray’s salary to make a deal with San Diego happen. That would mean quite a high prospect cost for the Padres, and while Preller is never shy about trading prospects, his push at this summer’s trade deadline has left the cupboards somewhat sterile. Additionally, Gray would only be controlled for the 2026 season, and Preller typically prioritizes trades for controllable players over rentals.
- Evaders: When it comes to spending money, there are few, if any, teams in baseball that can do it with the same reckless abandon as the Dodgers. Their salary was almost $400 million this season and no one should be surprised if they end up in a similar spot next season. While their rotation of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu YamamotoAnd Shohei Ohtani currently guiding them through the postseason, injury concerns in that group are evident and the depth behind that quartet takes a hit with Clayton Kershawthe impending retirement. Adding a reliable workhorse like Gray would make a lot of sense, and the Dodgers are one of the few clubs that could reasonably absorb most, if not all, of Gray’s salary without much difficulty. On the other hand, the Dodgers aren’t exactly the kind of small market club that Gray has typically favored in recent years, which could be a problem depending on how aggressive he is in using his no-trade clause.
Long shots:
- Cubs: On paper, the Cubs might seem like an excellent fit for Gray. The club appears likely to look for pitching help this winter after injuries Justin Steele And Cade Horton left them short this postseason, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has shown a propensity for shorter-term additions with higher salaries, and Chicago’s status as a Midwestern city could be attractive to Gray under his no-trade clause given his past decisions to sign with Cincinnati, Minnesota and St. Louis. That said, the biggest obstacle to this type of trade is that the Cubs and Cardinals have one of the greatest rivalries in sports and very rarely trade with each other. Perhaps Bloom taking over as president of baseball operations could help thaw that trade embargo, as he and Brian Cashman pulled off what was then the second Yankees/Red Sox trade of the 21st century in 2021, but it would still be a shock to see how the teams would line up for a trade of this magnitude.
- Of: The Mets are a team with a lot of willingness to spend money, a big need in the rotation and a strong preference for bringing in pitchers on relatively short-term contracts. All of that would make them an obvious fit for Gray, but one wonders how the right-hander’s previous stint in New York might impact interest from both sides. Gray’s 4.51 ERA in parts of two seasons with the Yankees was the worst stretch of his career. It would be understandable if Gray wasn’t interested in returning to New York at this point in his career, even for another franchise, and it’s equally possible that the Mets would avoid a pitcher who previously struggled in the sport’s biggest media market.
- Red: It was with the Reds that Gray turned his career around after leaving New York, pitching to a 3.49 ERA over three seasons in Cincinnati. He signed an extension with the club once before, so his no-trade clause likely wouldn’t be an issue, and the Reds were linked to him both during his last trip via free agency and even on the trade market last year. It would stand to reason that there could be some interest between the two parties again, but the Reds’ limited budget makes a trade difficult to imagine as they already have a rotation of Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Brady singerAnd Nick Lodolo locked up before 2026 with young people like Chase Burns And Rhett Lowder also in the mix for beginners. Whatever budget space Cincinnati has available this winter appears likely to be better used elsewhere on the roster, barring a trade of another arm that creates an opening.
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