CBS Sports gives Cardinals A grade for Gray trade .. Boston A also

[ramfandan]

Always fun to get the early report card grades on sports trades .

So here is another one for you ..

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/sonn ... n-starter/

[dugoutrex]

ESPN says C

[Cusecards]

Well at least they gave the Cards a grade.
Just turned on MLB Tonight. All they mentioned was the Red Sox.
Now.....I get that Gray going to Boston is the bigger story.
But you say NOTHING about the Cards return??
Crackerjack reporting there!
So much for doing just a little bit of homework.
Sports Networks have become a joke.
ESPN has been going down the toilet for years!

[HOUCARD]

Nice trade summary here: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/st-louis-cardinals

[mlc3stooge]

Well at least they gave the Cards a grade.
Just turned on MLB Tonight. All they mentioned was the Red Sox.
Now.....I get that Gray going to Boston is the bigger story.
But you say NOTHING about the Cards return??
Crackerjack reporting there!
So much for doing just a little bit of homework.
Sports Networks have become a joke.
ESPN has been going down the toilet for years!

You've got to remember MLB believes that only four teams exist -- the two NY teams, Boston and the Dodgers. They hate saying anything about the other 26.

[Cusecards]

Well at least they gave the Cards a grade.
Just turned on MLB Tonight. All they mentioned was the Red Sox.
Now.....I get that Gray going to Boston is the bigger story.
But you say NOTHING about the Cards return??
Crackerjack reporting there!
So much for doing just a little bit of homework.
Sports Networks have become a joke.
ESPN has been going down the toilet for years!

You've got to remember MLB believes that only four teams exist -- the two NY teams, Boston and the Dodgers. They hate saying anything about the other 26.

Valid point

[ramfandan]

Well at least they gave the Cards a grade.
Just turned on MLB Tonight. All they mentioned was the Red Sox.
Now.....I get that Gray going to Boston is the bigger story.
But you say NOTHING about the Cards return??
Crackerjack reporting there!
So much for doing just a little bit of homework.
Sports Networks have become a joke.
ESPN has been going down the toilet for years!

Will be the same when Arenado is traded . The headlines will scream _____ (name of team) acquires Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado
It sure won't be Cardinals trade Arenado for a prospect .

[Cusecards]

Well at least they gave the Cards a grade.
Just turned on MLB Tonight. All they mentioned was the Red Sox.
Now.....I get that Gray going to Boston is the bigger story.
But you say NOTHING about the Cards return??
Crackerjack reporting there!
So much for doing just a little bit of homework.
Sports Networks have become a joke.
ESPN has been going down the toilet for years!

Will be the same when Arenado is traded . The headlines will scream _____ (name of team) acquires Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado
It sure won't be Cardinals trade Arenado for a prospect .

I remember when sports reporting had substance.
Sadly mostly PR garbage right now.

[FrankTheTank]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/469 ... e-analysis

Red Sox bolster rotation in swap with St. Louis

Red Sox get:
RHP Sonny Gray
$20 million in cash


Cardinals get:
LHP Brandon Clarke
RHP Richard Fitts

Red Sox grade: B+

The Red Sox had three-fifths of an outstanding rotation in 2025, with Garrett Crochet leading the way and Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito producing solid campaigns as the second and third starters. That was enough to get the Red Sox back into the postseason for the first time since 2021, but after Giolito declined his part of a $19 million mutual option, the Red Sox were looking for a veteran starter to replace him.
They landed on Gray, who is 36 years old but coming off a second straight 200-strikeout season while also leading National League starters in strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Red Sox have reportedly restructured Gray's deal to pay him $31 million in 2026 with a $10 million buyout on a mutual option for 2027, essentially turning this into a one-year rental at $41 million (with the Cardinals picking up half that tab). It's certainly a great deal for Gray, who no doubt happily waived his no-trade clause to get out of St. Louis.

As for Gray the pitcher, he's an interesting mix. When he can get to two strikes, he's one of the best in the game, ranking fourth in the majors among starters with a nearly 52% strikeout rate (Crochet was first at 54.3%) while holding batters to a .135 average. His sweeper is his go-to strikeout pitch, registering 111 of his 201 strikeouts. His curveball generated a 34% whiff rate.

His problems came against his fastballs, as batters hit .370 and slugged .585 against his four-seamer (which he uses more against left-handed batters) and hit .281 and slugged .484 against his sinker (which he uses more against righties). He also throws a cutter, which he takes a little off on the velocity, but that was also similarly ineffective, with batters hitting .387 off it. The damage against his fastballs led to 25 home runs allowed and a 4.28 ERA, despite the excellent walk and strikeout numbers.

Can that be fixed? With a fastball that averages 92 mph, maybe not. Gray did throw his three fastball variants 53% of the time, so maybe the Red Sox suggest a different pitch mix -- the four-seamer, while it gives him the one pitch Gray throws up in the zone, has been hammered two years in a row now, but was still the pitch he threw most often in 2025.

Overall, Gray plugs a big hole without the Red Sox paying out a long-term contract -- and the Red Sox didn't give up anybody who projected to be an impact player for them in 2026 (such as starters Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, who debuted this past season and could be in the 2026 rotation).

Cardinals grade: C

It's not exactly a salary dump, but it has the feel of one, although the Cardinals at least chipped in $20 million to get a little better return on the player side. Fitts could be a bottom-of-the-rotation guy, and given the holes in the St. Louis rotation, is almost certain to get that opportunity. His four-seam fastball, sitting 95-96, was an effective pitch in the 10 starts he made for the Red Sox in 2025, but he hasn't really developed a trustworthy secondary offering. His slider got hit hard and didn't generate enough swing-and-miss. Maybe his sweeper/curveball combo will eventually elevate his game, but he threw both less than 11% of the time.

Clarke, a hard-throwing lefty who has hit 100 mph, was drafted out of a Florida junior college in 2024. He had Tommy John surgery in high school and redshirted one year at Alabama with another injury. The Red Sox limited him to 14 starts and 38 innings in 2025 in Class A, where he registered both high strikeout numbers (60) and high walk totals (27). ESPN's Kiley McDaniel rated him the No. 9 prospect in the Boston system in August and while there's obvious upside if everything comes together, he's not close to the majors and the profile screams reliever risk.

For the Cardinals, they've at least made their intentions clear: If 2025 was "re-set," 2026 is going to be a rebuild. Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras could also all be traded before the winter is over. -- Schoenfield