The St. Louis Cardinals signed free agent starting pitcher Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million deal, in part of a new, revamped starting rotation.
Gray, 34, heads to St. Louis after the best season of his 11-year MLB career. He earned his third All-Star appearance and finished second in the American League Cy Young voting — the highest placement of his career.
Gray continued his consistent dominance atop the Minnesota Twins’ starting rotation, pitching to a 2.79 ERA in 184 innings. His success helped lead Minnesota to its first postseason berth since the 2020 COVID-19-shortened season.
He continued his dominance in the American League Wild Card Series. Gray threw five shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays in the series-clinching win — the first series win for Minnesota since 2002.
Gray’s deal is huge for the Cardinals, who are attempting to overhaul a pitching staff that ended with a 24th-best 4.83 ERA during the regular season. The Cardinals, who looked to add another National League Central title in 2023, fell well short of expectations. St. Louis experienced its first losing season since 2007, and placed last in the NL Central for the first time since 1990.
A starting pitcher overhaul was always the Cardinals’ plan to reach divisional dominance again. The team quickly signed veteran free agents to help on the margins.
St. Louis signed old-friend Lance Lynn to a one-year, $11 million deal last week. Lynn, a 2008 first-round draft selection, returns to Busch Stadium for his age-37 season. He earned one All-Star appearance and won the 2011 World Series with the Cardinals.
Lynn struggled greatly in 2023 with the White Sox, before somewhat turning his season around with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Overall, he threw to a 5.73 ERA in 32 starts last season.
The Cardinals also added veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson to a one-year, $12 million contract. Gibson, 36, threw to a 4.73 ERA over 193 innings for the first-place Baltimore Orioles in 2023. Gibson has been around league-average during his 11-year career, which included a 2021 All-Star appearance.
The Cardinals have been aggressive to bolster their rotation during the first few weeks of 2024 free agency. St. Louis might not be done yet. The team has been linked to trading for Tampa Bay Rays’ starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, in addition to other top pitchers.
Sonny Gray is a good start to a revamped rotation in St. Louis, but the Cardinals need more pitching to help return to National League dominance.
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