What does the Sonny Gray trade mean for the Red Sox' offseason? Full breakdown of the trade for the 36-year-old three-time All-Star

The Boston Red Sox have made their first big move of the offseason, trading for St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray. 

Now that the full trade has been revealed, it seems the Sox didn’t give up much for the veteran three-time All-Star.

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The full trade was this:

Red Sox get: RHP Sonny Gray

Cardinals get: RHP Richard Fitts, LHP Brandon Clarke

This past season, Gray posted a 14-8 record, a 4.28 ERA, 201 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.234 over 180 innings pitched. While his ERA is high, he’s proven he can strike batters out and win games. 

However, this could make Sox fans a little uncomfortable. Sox CBO Craig Breslow promised a No. 2 pitcher to pair with Garrett Crochet, and to be fully honest, Gray isn’t him. 

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Could he hold down the back end of the rotation? Definitely, no question about it. Give him an offseason with pitching coach Andrew Bailey, and he could have a bounce-back season like Lucas Giolito. 

Hopefully, this trade is just a back-end booster, and the Sox will really spend some assets for a true No. 2 ace. Otherwise, it’s another slap to Sox fans’ faces who want to trust the front office when they say they’ll do something.

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