Overview
- Boston landed the 36-year-old right-hander from St. Louis for Richard Fitts and top lefty prospect Brandon Clarke, with Gray’s 2026 salary reset to $31 million and a 2027 mutual option carrying a $10 million buyout.
- Multiple outlets report the Cardinals will send about $20 million to Boston, reducing the Red Sox’s effective 2026 outlay for Gray and altering their luxury-tax calculation.
- Gray waived his no-trade clause and is expected to slot behind ace Garrett Crochet after a 2025 season with 32 starts, 180 2/3 innings and 201 strikeouts.
- Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said the move addresses the rotation and reiterated the club still intends to add a bat, declining to label Gray as a specific rotation number this early in the offseason.
- The deal reflects a Cardinals shift toward a youth-focused rebuild under Chaim Bloom, and analysts say removing Gray from the board could quicken the starting-pitching trade market; separate reporting links Boston to interest in J.T. Realmuto.