The Red Sox have found their No. 2 starter.
On Tuesday, they acquired veteran righty Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for lefty pitching prospect Brandon Clarke and starter Richard Fitts. It is a deal that furthers Boston’s pursuit of a deeper playoff run in 2026 by providing a reinforcement behind ace lefty Garrett Crochet.
What follows are grades for each team’s return in the deal to see who came out on the better end of things.
Red Sox Acquire: Sonny Gray
Boston had been desperate to find some rotation help behind Crochet and looked like a potential landing spot if the Tigers made Tarik Skubal available. The Red Sox went a much easier route, landing the 36-year-old Gray, who is a durable three-time All-Star in his own right.
Gray was solid but not spectacular for St. Louis in 2025. He went 14-8, with a 4.28 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and 201 strikeouts against 38 walks in 180 2/3 innings. His FIP was 3.39, which shows he was a bit unlucky. While it wasn’t Gray’s best season, he is only two years removed from finishing second in AL Cy Young voting when he went 8-8, with a 2.79 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and a league-best 2.83 FIP for the Twins in 2023.
The Red Sox are getting a stable No. 2 for their rotation. He’s a guy with a career ERA of 3.58, and has only been over 4.00 twice in the past seven seasons. Additionally, Gray and Crochet are two of the five MLB pitchers who have struck out 200 or more batters in each of the last two seasons, making them a formidable duo. Boston is pushing to take the next step and has added a good arm near the top of its rotation.
To sweeten the deal, Boston is also receiving $20 million to help cover the $35 million Gray is owed in 2026. His contract has a mutual option for $30 million in 2027, but it only carries a $5 million buyout. It’s a manageable contract, and they didn’t surrender a top prospect in exchange.
Grade: B+
Cardinals Acquire: Brandon Clarke, Richard Fitts
St. Louis is pushing to get younger after missing the playoffs for three straight seasons. Gray’s age and contract put him on the outside of the team’s plans moving forward. In exchange, they landed two intriguing arms but didn’t get any true top prospects to add to their impressive farm system.
Fitts has made 15 appearances (14 starts) over two big league seasons and has struggled to keep the ball in the yard. In 2025, he pitched in 11 games (10 starts) and went 2-4 with a 5.00 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts against 16 walks in 45 innings. He allowed 11 home runs in that time. The former Yankees prospect has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s but tops out around 98, and his slider continues to improve and has some sweep to it.
The prize of the deal is Brandon Clarke. The 6’4” lefty has a fastball that can touch 100, and features an outstanding slider that can sit in the upper-80s. He also features a curveball and a changeup he hasn’t thrown for strikes consistently yet. The Red Sox selected Clarke with a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft out of junior college, and he made his pro debut in 2025. In 14 starts at two levels of A ball, he went 0-3 with a 4.03 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts against 27 walks in 38 innings. Opposing batters only hit 1.28 against him. If he can cut down on the walks and straighten out his changeup, Clarke could race up prospect lists.
St. Louis moved off Gray’s contract but also shipped $20 million to Boston and didn’t land a top 100 prospect in the process. They weren’t able to pry either of the Red Sox’s top two pitching prospects, as Payton Tolle and Kyson Witherspoon remain part of Boston’s system. The return isn’t disappointing thanks to Clarke’s upside, but it feels a bit flat.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sonny Gray Trade Grades: Did Red Sox or Cardinals Win the Deal?.
