The St. Louis Cardinals have made it clear that they intend to enter a rebuild of sorts. How aggressive this rebuild will be is not yet known, but there are some pieces that may be traded away.
Right-hander Sonny Gray is one of several veterans on expensive contracts that could be traded. St. Louis is expected to trim their payroll in 2025.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report proposed the idea of St. Louis shipping Gray to a division rival in the Cincinnati Reds.
“As the Cardinals try to overhaul their organization,” President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has indicted that St. Louis will try to trim its payroll in 2025,” Kelly wrote. “Trades between division rivals can sometimes be frowned upon, but the Cardinals probably aren’t going to contend over the next two seasons. Gray would rejoin a Reds team that already has Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Nick Lodolo in the starting rotation, giving new manager Terry Francona an exciting group to work with.”
Trades are rarely made within the same division, and this could cause Mozeliak to hesitate before dealing Gray to the Reds. But Cincinnati does have some solid young players that they could send back to St. Louis in such a deal.