Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox added 36-year-old right-hander Sonny Gray to their rotation on Tuesday, filling one of their biggest needs by acquiring the three-time All-Star from the St. Louis Cardinals with more than two months remaining in the offseason.
The Cardinals will eat $20 million from Greene’s salary and get the righty Richard Fitts and a prospect in the deal. Green gives Boston a reliable option that can take some pressure off the rest of the rotation behind ace Garrett Crochet.
“We’ve been very transparent about our desire to add to the rotation and our desire to add at-bats,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters in a conference call. … But of course we feel good about where we are today.”
Green went 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA for the Cardinals last season, striking out 201 batters and walking 38 in 32 starts — the best ratio in the NL. He is one of five pitchers to record at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last two seasons.
“When you think about what Sonny has been in this league, he’s a guy who stands out in front of rotations,” Breslow said. “The things that we think pitchers pick up from year to year are things like strikeout rate and walk rate and just the ability to stay off the barrel. He’s outstanding there.”
In a 13-year career with five teams, Green is 125-102 with a 3.58 ERA. Asked if Gray was the No. 2 starter the Red Sox were looking for, Bresello said, “I don’t know how much sense it makes to put a number on a guy in November.”
“Sonny is a very talented major league pitcher. The seasons he’s had pretty well show that’s the case,” he said. “That said, we still intend to improve our team. Exactly what that looks like, we don’t know at this point.”
Fitts, who turns 26 next month, was 2-4 with a 5.00 ERA as a rookie in Boston last season. The Cardinals will also get 22-year-old lefty Brandon Clark, a fifth-round draft pick who has only pitched in Class A and is rated the No. 5 prospect in the Red Sox system by MLB.com, and has a player name or cash.
“Richard Fitts has already begun his major league career, and with his power stuff and willingness to attack the strike zone, he has the potential to start games at a high level for many years. Brandon Clark is an exciting left-handed prospect who has more range than any pitcher in the minor leagues,” said former president of Champball, former president of Champball, the Chaplins with Baseball. Red Sox. “Both have the potential to be part of our growing core for a long time.”
Gray, who waived his no-trade clause, was guaranteed $40 million for the next two seasons: $35 million for 2026 and a $5 million buyout of a $30 million team option for 2027. His contract was modified to guarantee him a $31 million salary for next year and a $30 million combined option for 2027 with a $30 million buyout.
