If you’re a Red Sox fan who wanted the team to add an ace (or at least a legit No. 2 starter) to the rotation during the offseason, then you probably weren’t overly hyped about the Sonny Gray trade on Tuesday.
Then again, Gray does have a long track record of success at the MLB level.
The Red Sox acquired Gray and $20 million from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts and left-handed pitcher Brandon Clarke.
Gray is 36 years old and entering the final year of his contract. He posted a 4.28 ERA with a 1.234 WHIP, while also striking out 201 batters and walking only 38, over 32 starts for the Cardinals last season.
Do the Red Sox view Gray as a real No. 2 behind ace Garrett Crochet?
“I don’t know how much sense it makes in November to put a number on a guy,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters during a press conference Tuesday.
“I think Sonny is a very talented major league player. The seasons that he has put up pretty consistently indicate that to be the case. That said, we still intend to improve our team, and exactly what that looks like, we don’t know right now. But we’ll continue to try and explore opportunities and figure out where that takes us.”
As it stands now, Gray probably slots in as the No. 3 starter behind Crochet and Brayan Bello in the rotation. But if healthy, Gray does have the potential to pitch at a No. 2 level. It’s not inconceivable.
The real question now is whether the Red Sox’ next major move will be for another impact pitcher or a powerful bat.
Either way, if the Gray acquisition ends up being Boston’s major offseason addition, fans should (and will) be very disappointed.
