The St. Louis Cardinals will make fixing their pitching staff a priority this winter, and there is a specific star they plan to target when MLB free agency opens next month.
After winning the National League Central in 2022, the St. Louis Cardinals took a massive step back this season as they finished dead last in the division and were tied for the fifth-worst record in baseball. It was a shocking about-face for a team that had reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras.
Related: St. Louis Cardinals reportedly focused on specific targets in 2023-24 MLB free agency
Part of why they finished with just 71 wins this season is the fact that the organization through up the white flag and traded several key players before the August MLB trade deadline. With starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty now off the roster the team must bolster a starting rotation that finished among the worst in MLB this season.
St. Louis Cardinals will make Sonny Gray a top priority in MLB free agency
Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the potential bidding wars for San Diego Padres ace Blake Snell and Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, it looks like the Cards are not interested in a battle with the Dodgers, Yankees, and Mets for those players and seem to have their sights set on a different impact pitcher on the open market.
On Sunday, USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported that “The St. Louis Cardinals will strongly pursue Minnesota Twins free agent Sonny Gray this winter.”
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The three-time All-Star and veteran of the A’s, Yankees, Reds, and Twins had one of the best seasons of his career in 2023. While he only posted an 8-8 record for the AL Central champions, he posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.147 WHIP. He also earned his first postseason victory in Minnesota’s Wild Card Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
- Sonny Gray stats (2023) 8-8, 2.79 ERA, 1.147 WHIP, 183 SO, 55 BB