Former GM Calls Red Sox’s Sonny Gray Trade ‘Win-Win For Both Teams’
Boston Red Sox fans received some surprising news on Tuesday morning as the Red Sox made their first big move of the offseason, trading Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to the St. Louis Cardinals for All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray and $20 million in cash considerations.
Initial reactions to the deal have been largely positive on both sides. The Red Sox got a proven starter to replace Lucas Giolito in the rotation, while the Cardinals shed some salary and picked up a pair of young pitchers.
One positive assessment of the trade came from former GM Jim Bowden, who called the trade a “win-win for both teams” in a post on X.
“The best trades are always the ones that work for both teams and certainly the #Cardinals trade of Sonny Gray &20m to the #RedSox for LHP Brandon Clarke and RHP Richard Fitts does that. It helped that Cards GM Chaim Bloom was so familiar with Fitts and Clarke from his Red Sox days. Win – Win for both teams!” Bowden wrote on Tuesday.
A three-time All-Star, Gray has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for over a decade, remaining durable and effective everywhere he’s pitched. The 36-year-old right-hander has shown no signs of slowing down, going 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA, a 3.39 FIP and 201 strikeouts in 180 2/3 innings for St. Louis last year.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are getting a pair of promising young arms in Fitts and Clarke. Fitts has a 3.97 ERA in 65 2/3 career innings, while Clarke now ranks as St. Louis’ No. 7 prospect overall and No. 3 pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Boston got better and addressed one of its top offseason needs while the Cardinals got younger and saved some money. A win-win, indeed.