Potential Braves trade target Sonny Gray dealt to Red Sox

The Cardinals traded veteran starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Red Sox on Tuesday, lessening the Braves’ potential rotation options by one.

Gray, 36, had a 4.28 ERA in 32 starts last season. St. Louis is in a retooling phase and trying to cut costs, which led to Gray’s widely known availability. There was speculation he could make sense as a Braves target. Gray had a no-trade clause and has previously valued pitching closer to his home in Nashville, Tennessee. Also, the Braves had been interested in Gray in the past.

But Gray was owed a sizable financial commitment. The Cardinals reportedly covered $20 million as Gray was due $35 million this season, with a mutual option for 2027. St. Louis’ willingness to eat money bolstered the return. They received pitchers Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts, the former of whom now ranks among their top-10 prospects.

The Braves have the financial ability to add a well-compensated starter, though they also have needs at shortstop and the bullpen. They prefer spending dollars rather than moving prospects, which would have made topping Boston’s offer difficult (if the Braves had even wanted to).

There are numerous free-agent starters who make varying degrees of sense for the Braves: Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Chris Bassitt, Michael King, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Nick Martinez, Justin Verlander, Zack Littell among them; those are only the bigger names.

Starting pitching is a priority. The Braves wanted another reliable starter to join Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach, their ace-level trio that needs to stay healthy. They have Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes returning from season-ending injuries, as well as late-season breakout star Hurston Waldrep. The team would benefit from another reliable starter given all the rotation uncertainty.