Cardinals POBO Chaim Bloom says trade interest for Sonny Gray has been high.
“We’ve definitely been listening on him,” Bloom said. “It’s not a surprise. I mean, he’s still one of the better pitchers in the league. We value him very highly. Just with where we are and thinking long term, we’ve talked to him, and I think we all feel like there might be something that makes sense, but we’ll continue to explore that.” Gray has a full no-trade clause, but he’s thought to be open to waiving it if the right destination comes about. One problem is that his three-year, $75 million contract was heavily backloaded, and he’s owed $35 million next season and perhaps a $5 million buyout of his 2027 option (it’s $30 million, and he can opt out of it if a team exercises it). The Cardinals will probably need to eat some of that in order to get a substantial return.