MLB

MLB Offseason Round-Up: Cardinals Sign Sonny Gray as Hot Stove Warms

Published

5 months ago

November 28, 2023

This is one in a series of daily articles highlighting the latest news and notes from the MLB offseason.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been active on the free agent market so far this winter. They’ve already signed veteran starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to one-year deals. On Monday, they made an even bigger splash.

St. Louis signed 2023 American League Cy Young finalist Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million deal in their efforts to overhaul their rotation. Gray’s deal comes with a $30 million club option for 2027.

Gray, who turned 34 earlier this month, finished second to Gerrit Cole in this year’s Cy Young voting. In 32 starts, the right-hander was 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA across 32 starts. Gray led baseball with a 2.83 FIP.

His 2023 efforts capped off an impressive two-year run in Minnesota. The three-time All-Star has split his 11-year career between the A’s, Yankees, Reds and Twins.

J-Hey Back To L.A.

In other news, veteran outfielder Jason Heyward is returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. The deal is for one-year and $9 million.

Heyward had a solid bounce-back season in his first year with the Dodgers in 2023. In 124 games, the 34-year-old slashed .269/.340/.473 with 23 doubles, 15 home runs and 40 RBIs.

Dealing An Ace?

There are plenty of frontline starting pitchers on the trade market this MLB offseason. Amongst the possibilities to be dealt are Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tyler Glasnow.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Dodgers and Braves are two teams eyeing Cease. The Reds, who were in hot pursuit of Sonny Gray, are interested in Glasnow, per MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.

Cease went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA in a league-high 33 starts for Chicago last season. He was the Cy Young runner-up in 2022. Glasnow pitched well over his 21 starts with the Rays in 2023. He finished the year 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched.