The St.Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox completed a trade last week as the Cardinals traded starting pitcher Sonny Gray back to the AL East, but this time with the Boston Red Sox. In return the St.Louis Cardinals received the Red Sox number five prospect, Brandon Clarke and pitcher Rochard Fitts. 

While the Red Sox had a solid year and made the playoffs, the Cardinals had the opposite and did not make the playoffs. The Cardinals finished the 2025 season with a 78-84 record while the Red Sox finished with a 89-73 record. Former Cardinals President of Baseball Operations and General manager John Mozeliak who recently stepped down from the position after serving in the role since 2007 to give way to Chaim Bloom who served as an advisor to John Mozeliak over the last two seasons. Before taking a job with the Cardinals, Bloom served as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox so Bloom has experience around the players from the Red Sox organization. 

The trade between the two teams serves as a win for both organizations. The Cardinals are in a rebuilding phase and are also looking to trade veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado and catcher/first baseman Wilson Contreras. The Red Sox are at a ready to win phase and will go the distance to get back to another World Series. 

After the trade between Gray was finished, Gray and the Red Sox worked on a rearranged deal for the 2026 season. Originally, Gray was going to make $35 million for the 2026 season, but his salary has been reworked. Gray’s salary for the 2026 season is now $31 million with his buyout of his $30 million club option for the 2027 season from $5 million to $10 million. Eleven if the Red Sox pick up his club option for this upcoming season, Gray can still opt out of his deal to become a free agent. 

Gray will look to bounce back following his 2025 season and return to being the Cy Young Candidate he was while a member of the Cincinnati Reds. Over his last two years with the St. Louis Cardinals, he allowed 157 earned runs, 46 home runs, 77 walks, and struck out 404 batters over 347 innings pitched.