Baseball America on Clarke & Fitts ( post trade article )

[ramfandan]

story released today after trade

One of the loudest performers this past spring, as Clarke blew away scouts in the Red Sox Spring Breakout game and on the backfields in minor league spring training.

After dominating the Low-A Carolina League to begin the season, Clarke was promoted to High-A Greenville. There, he struggled with command and health. Clarke did only one stint on the injured list in 2025, but he missed a month at two different points in the season. He was shut down in May and didn’t return until the end of June. His season ended on Aug. 15 when the Red Sox placed him on the injured list with recurring blister issues.


Clarke possesses some of the best power stuff in the minors. He mixes both four-seam and two-seam fastballs, with the two-seamer the better of the two. He generates outlier velocity on both, sitting 96-98 mph and touching 100 at peak. Clarke’s best pitch is an upper-80s sweeper with one of the most outlier combinations of velocity and movement among the sweeper genre. The pitch blows up Stuff models and overwhelmed opposing hitters in 2025.

There’s major questions around Clarke’s strike-throwing and durability, making him a likely a reliever long term. Despite this, his raw traits are so exciting it would be a fool’s errand to write off his ability to start.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Richard Fitts, RHP
Age: 25

Over the last two seasons, Fitts has spent large parts of his year in the major leagues. He was shut down in August with arm neuritis. The rare condition affected nerves around Fitts biceps and avoided any damage to his UCL. The lack of durability has been a concern for Fitts, as he was held to a total of 75 innings this season.

When healthy, Fitts shows a backend starter’s profile with good enough stuff for his pitch mix to play up if he’s moved to the bullpen long term. He did a good job diversifying his options for generating outs in 2025, as he drove more groundball contact than at any point in his career after introducing a sinker.

Fitts mixes a four-seam fastball that sits 95-97 mph with a sinker in the 94-96 range, an upper-80s slider, a lower-80s curveball and a rarely-used changeup. Fitts should factor into the Cardinals’ rotation plans for the upcoming season.

[dekozma]

Just a salary dump for two oft-injured pitchers. Mo 2.0 trade and all of the "hype" to go with it.

[BrockFloodMaris]

story released today after trade

One of the loudest performers this past spring, as Clarke blew away scouts in the Red Sox Spring Breakout game and on the backfields in minor league spring training.

After dominating the Low-A Carolina League to begin the season, Clarke was promoted to High-A Greenville. There, he struggled with command and health. Clarke did only one stint on the injured list in 2025, but he missed a month at two different points in the season. He was shut down in May and didn’t return until the end of June. His season ended on Aug. 15 when the Red Sox placed him on the injured list with recurring blister issues.


Clarke possesses some of the best power stuff in the minors. He mixes both four-seam and two-seam fastballs, with the two-seamer the better of the two. He generates outlier velocity on both, sitting 96-98 mph and touching 100 at peak. Clarke’s best pitch is an upper-80s sweeper with one of the most outlier combinations of velocity and movement among the sweeper genre. The pitch blows up Stuff models and overwhelmed opposing hitters in 2025.

There’s major questions around Clarke’s strike-throwing and durability, making him a likely a reliever long term. Despite this, his raw traits are so exciting it would be a fool’s errand to write off his ability to start.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Richard Fitts, RHP
Age: 25

Over the last two seasons, Fitts has spent large parts of his year in the major leagues. He was shut down in August with arm neuritis. The rare condition affected nerves around Fitts biceps and avoided any damage to his UCL. The lack of durability has been a concern for Fitts, as he was held to a total of 75 innings this season.

When healthy, Fitts shows a backend starter’s profile with good enough stuff for his pitch mix to play up if he’s moved to the bullpen long term. He did a good job diversifying his options for generating outs in 2025, as he drove more groundball contact than at any point in his career after introducing a sinker.

Fitts mixes a four-seam fastball that sits 95-97 mph with a sinker in the 94-96 range, an upper-80s slider, a lower-80s curveball and a rarely-used changeup. Fitts should factor into the Cardinals’ rotation plans for the upcoming season.

Thanks for the post, Dan. Good insight from BA.

[ClassicO]

This is exactly what kind of trade the Cardinals need to make.
Sonny Gray was not going to help them accomplish anything this year and carried a huge price tag.
They weren’t going to get much back for Gray, so they might as well take risks on high potential pitching.
Of course they both have histories of injury. You don’t get high potential arms without flaws when you’re not giving up much.

[ramfandan]

Thank you ! The author is Jeoff Pontes He does a lot of work for them . Prospect writer for BA

[rockondlouie]

This is exactly what kind of trade the Cardinals need to make.
Sonny Gray was not going to help them accomplish anything this year and carried a huge price tag.
They weren’t going to get much back for Gray, so they might as well take risks on high potential pitching.
Of course they both have histories of injury. You don’t get high potential arms without flaws when you’re not giving up much.

Bingo

High Risk/High Reward Potential

Toss in the $20M in payroll savings that hopefully Dewitt allows Bloom to reinvest and this trades a winner.

Now on to NADO..........Donny..........??? and we're not even close to the Winter Meetings!

[craviduce]

This is exactly what kind of trade the Cardinals need to make.
Sonny Gray was not going to help them accomplish anything this year and carried a huge price tag.
They weren’t going to get much back for Gray, so they might as well take risks on high potential pitching.
Of course they both have histories of injury. You don’t get high potential arms without flaws when you’re not giving up much.

yep
+1000000000

It's a new day....but I love the potential/upside with Clarke. Tanner Franklin and Clarke...from different sides of the Rubber/Mound.

[zuck698]

This is exactly what kind of trade the Cardinals need to make.
Sonny Gray was not going to help them accomplish anything this year and carried a huge price tag.
They weren’t going to get much back for Gray, so they might as well take risks on high potential pitching.
Of course they both have histories of injury. You don’t get high potential arms without flaws when you’re not giving up much.

yep
+1000000000

It's a new day....but I love the potential/upside with Clarke. Tanner Franklin and Clarke...from different sides of the Rubber/Mound.

Duce do you think Clarke starts in AA this year?

[ramfandan]

One article certainly does not make a consensus but I googled reviews of Sonny Gray trade

The early buzz by some in Boston is not good .. 'overpay by Boston

High cost for a "meh" year: Some commentators feel the Red Sox overpaid, giving up significant assets for a pitcher coming off what they describe as a "meh" year, though they acknowledge the upside.


As I said this is the first one I saw.. will keep looking and listening throughout the day on media 'take' on the trade.

[greyhawk]

Just a salary dump for two oft-injured pitchers. Mo 2.0 trade and all of the "hype" to go with it.

for a 35 yr old pitcher the red sox are going to pay $21 million with the cards picking up the other $20 mil --- not sure how much more you think they were going to get.

[craviduce]

This is exactly what kind of trade the Cardinals need to make.
Sonny Gray was not going to help them accomplish anything this year and carried a huge price tag.
They weren’t going to get much back for Gray, so they might as well take risks on high potential pitching.
Of course they both have histories of injury. You don’t get high potential arms without flaws when you’re not giving up much.

yep
+1000000000

It's a new day....but I love the potential/upside with Clarke. Tanner Franklin and Clarke...from different sides of the Rubber/Mound.

Duce do you think Clarke starts in AA this year?

we have so many Minor League pitchers that need starter innings, Zuck. I really don't know. I can't see holding Henderson, Mautz and Hansen back in AA for another season...so there's room. But what do you do with Hjerpe when ready for rehab, Lin, Rincon, Winquest, Saladin, Molina, Dohm, Davis, Brandt, Franklin, Doyle, etc....too many Passengers, only 1 Aisle of Seats

[ramfandan]

Can anyone confirm the following ?

I read on a Tweet (think Rosenthal ?) that the Red Sox converted the Gray contract to a 1-year deal with a 2027 mutual option to it .
If option is not accepted , Gray will make $41 M total for pitching the one year there.

Please post if you hear differently or can confirm.... OR any details to add
Thanks .. RF Dan

[Jatalk]

Two words: “When healthy”

[ramfandan]

Can anyone confirm the following ?

I read on a Tweet (think Rosenthal ?) that the Red Sox converted the Gray contract to a 1-year deal with a 2027 mutual option to it .
If option is not accepted , Gray will make $41 M total for pitching the one year there.

Please post if you hear differently or can confirm.... OR any details to add
Thanks .. RF Dan

PS to my post of a few min. ago ..

Read it is a 1-year deal with $31 M for 2026 and a $10M mutual option for 2027 with a $5M buyout That makes more sense !
So if I am interpreting that right , if he pitches there two years , he makes $41 M and if either side wants out after upcoming season , he will get $5M check so in effect get $36M total for pitching one season there.

[Absolut]

Grays numbers at Fenway are awful

[Jobu's Rum]

Just a salary dump for two oft-injured pitchers. Mo 2.0 trade and all of the "hype" to go with it.

for a 35 yr old pitcher the red sox are going to pay $21 million with the cards picking up the other $20 mil --- not sure how much more you think they were going to get.

+1000
Bloom is cleaning up Moe’s mess. Only so much he can do