The Baltimore Orioles made a few moves this offseason but didn’t make any big splashes. They also lost both Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander in free agency.
With Burnes gone, they need an ace to anchor their starting staff. Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano should help, but they don’t give Baltimore the quality of pitching they need to be a threat to the New York Yankees.
Last week, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report proposed the idea of Baltimore giving the St. Louis Cardinals a call for right-hander Sonny Gray.
“Gray was the first notable trade chip of the winter, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on his candidacy all the way back in September.
There hasn’t been much buzz on Gray since then, and he controls his own fate via no-trade protection. He also said in January that St. Louis is ‘still where I want to be,”‘ Rymer wrote.
“Never say never, though, and this is another tree up which Baltimore should be barking.”
Gray went 13-9 last year with a 3.84 ERA in his first season with the Cardinals. They signed him to a three-year, $75 million contract.
While Gray will likely remain in St. Louis to start the season at least due to his no-trade clause, a deal a few months down the road cannot be ruled out.
The Cardinals likely won’t contend in 2025 and will end up being sellers at the trade deadline as opposed to being buyers. If they are under .500 at the deadline, it might make sense for them to at least field interest in Gray.
The Orioles would also be getting a true ace if they were to trade for Gray, which is something they need following the loss of Burnes. Having a veteran innings eater with a few years of control would be most beneficial for the O’s in 2025.
Gray also recorded 203 strikeouts last season, so Baltimore would also be trading for somebody that can generate swings and misses if this potential deal were to happen.
It would cost a haul, but it might be worth it for the Orioles to at least kick the tires on this.
More MLB: MLB writer floats realistic Orioles trade idea for $108 million 3-time All-Star
