Insider Reveals Two Reasons Why Red Sox Traded For Sonny Gray

The Boston Red Sox swung a big trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday for veteran starting pitcher Sonny Gray, and the move has been quite divisive among fans. According to one Red Sox insider, though, there are two big reasons why the team pulled off this trade.

Gray is a three-time All-Star who finished second in the American League Cy Young race just a couple of years ago in 2023. However, Gray is 36 years old now, and he showed signs of decline in 2025 with the Cardinals, as he posted a 4.28 ERA over 32 starts last season.

Reports indicated that the Sox were looking for a de facto No. 2 starter to pair up with Garrett Crochet atop the rotation, but it remains to be seen if Gray is that guy at this point in his career. According to team insider Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, two things made Gray stand out and convinced the front office to pull the trigger on this deal.

“Pairing (Gray’s) 200-strikeout potential behind Crochet was a driving force, according to a team source. He finished with a National League-leading 5.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio,” McCaffrey wrote.

“Another attractive quality, according to a team source, is Gray’s ability to limit pull-side damage to right-handed hitters, meaning fewer balls off Fenway’s wall in left. Gray allowed 16.3 percent pull-side balls in the air last season, slightly better than the league average of 16.7 percent. Gray held lefties to a .668 OPS compared to a .788 OPS versus righties.”

While Gray wasn’t perfect last year, he still struck out 201 batters in 180.2 innings of work, indicating that he still has top-notch stuff. If he can get his ERA back down into the 3.50 range at least, this deal could work out quite well for the Sox.

There’s risk associated with just about every move made in MLB, and the same is true of this trade for Gray. If he can turn back the clock in 2026, though, this trade could end up being a major win for Boston.