As the MLB trade deadline approaches, this is the time when reports surface, rumors swirl, and teams often shift their plans as the market develops.
The St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly checked with other teams to see what interest there might be in trading for Sonny Gray. However, according to a recent update from Cardinals insider John Denton of MLB.com, Gray seems to prefer staying put—for now.
Denton shared on X that Gray recently sat down with Cardinals president John Mozeliak, a meeting both sides had previously acknowledged would take place. During that conversation, Gray made it clear that he wants to remain in St. Louis through the rest of the 2025 season, according to a source.
It sounds like Sonny Gray would like to stay with the Cardinals for now, rather than being traded at this year’s deadline
Although there hasn’t been any news yet indicating that Gray wants to be traded to the Cardinals, it’s a little odd that when asked this week about his conversation with Mozeliak, Gray chose not to respond, but it’s now being revealed that he told him he wanted to stay. This is just my opinion, but I think it would be strange for Gray to keep quiet about a scenario when he mentioned in private that he wanted to be in St. Louis. He has been rather transparent about his sentiments about being here ever since he signed here.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, if the Cardinals were to trade Sonny Gray, it would mostly be to free up money not because of how he’s pitching. With Chaim Bloom set to take over baseball operations from John Mozeliak after this season, clearing Gray’s contract would give Bloom more financial room to reshape the roster as he sees fit. Gray has started 21 games this year and holds a 4.33 ERA, which isn’t eye-catching, and it’s unlikely the Cardinals would get a big return for him in a trade unless they agreed to pay a good chunk of his remaining salary.
That said, Gray’s underlying numbers tell a more promising story: his Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) is a strong 3.02, and he’s striking out nearly 27% of the batters he faces. Those advanced stats suggest that Gray has actually pitched better than his ERA shows and could be in line for a better second half if he stays healthy. In other words, while his surface-level numbers might not jump off the page, there’s real value in what he’s doing, and teams looking deeper could see him as a sneaky-good pickup especially if the Cardinals help cover the cost.