Aug 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Reaction To Cardinals-Braves Sonny Gray Trade Buzz

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 11:00 AM ET

A lot of the offseason trade chatter this upcoming winter likely will have to do with the St. Louis Cardinals.

This is because the Cardinals have a handful of pieces that could be of use to a contender and bring prospects back to a seemingly rebuilding organization. But, the caveat is that the Cardinals still have a lot of no-trade clauses on with the team. When the offseason gets here, guys like Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras are going to be talked about a lot. But, all three have no-trade clauses.

For this purpose, though, let's focus solely on Gray. He has a 4.43 ERA in 30 starts for the Cardinals this season. It's his highest ERA since 2018. He's shown some flashes of dominance this season, but then has had starts where he's blown up and the club kept him in for a bit.

Gray has one more season left on his three-year, $75 million deal and then a club option for the 2027 season as well.

Gray has been the center of trade talks before, but opted against a move. Could that change this winter? There have been reports out there about the San Francisco Giants potentially having interest this offseason. When talking about Gray, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also talked about the Atlanta Braves.

Will the Cardinals trade Sonny Gray?

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Let me just add that real quick here. A) Gray has not said, though he has indicated that there are teams that have situations he'd be interested in. He signed with the Cardinals ahead of an offer from Arizona. Atlanta can offer some of what the Cardinals do that he wanted, geographically. SF does not. But it's a chance perhaps to reconnect with Bob Melvin, and they are close. B) The current Cardinals would engage in that conversation. We'll find out what Bloom's approach will be. To date, it's not clear. It may be the same because ownership is the same. It may be different because Bloom has a different approach."

Reaction:

Atlanta needs something. The Braves have dealt with an unbelievable amount of injuries over the last two years. The Braves are 70-83 on the season right now. Any time Gray's no-trade clause was brought up, typically, the fact that he wanted to be close to his Nashville home got brought up too. Atlanta and Nashville aren't too far a part. If there was a place for Gray to make sense, this would be it.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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