Sonny Gray appears to be the next major starting-pitching free-agent domino to fall.
The veteran right-hander and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a three-year deal, per multiple reports on Monday.
Gray was one of the top starting pitchers available on the market this winter — one that could have possibly bolstered a very thin New York Mets rotation.
The 34-year-old pitched 184 innings, going 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA, 183 strikeouts, and a 1.147 WHIP with the Minnesota Twins in 2023, finishing second in the AL Cy Young Award voting to Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. After being written off by the Yankees following the 2018 season, Gray has posted a 3.22 ERA across five years with the Cincinnati Reds and Twins.
In St. Louis, he’ll slot in near the top of a rotation that has already added Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn within the last week.
Considering Gray received a qualifying offer from the Twins, interest from the Mets was likely limited as signing him would have meant giving up draft compensation.
Whether this sparks the rest of the starting-pitching market in free agency obviously remains to be seen — Aaron Nola quickly signed a seven-year deal to remain with the Philadelphia Phillies last week — but it is something that David Stearns and the Mets will be heavily involved in.
As it stands, the top priority appears to still be Japanese superstar ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was posted last week by his NPB club, the Orix Buffaloes, and has 45 days to sign with an MLB club.
The Mets have also shown recent interest in former Yankees ace Luis Severino, whose career has been derailed by injuries in recent years.
Other notable free-agent starters include reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, and Brandon Woodruff.
