Another potential top Braves trade target is off the board after surprise swap

The Atlanta Braves need for starting pitching could force them to be creative. The top arms on the free agent market like Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez could prove to be more expensive than they prefer, but that doesn't change the fact that they need quality starting pitching depth in some form. Unfortunately, one of the better trade options on the market is now off the table.

The Braves have been connected to Sonny Gray repeatedly over the years and for good reason. Before his down 2025 season, Gray was one of the better pitchers in baseball for the better part of five seasons (at least) including almost winning the Cy Young with the Twins in 2023. It is no wonder that Gray has been a popular Braves trade target for so long including this offseason with the Cardinals looking to retool their roster and cut costs.

Sadly, it was not to be because Gray was traded to the Red Sox on Tuesday in a surprise move.

Offseason trade market is heating up as Sonny Gray is moved, leaving the Braves with one less option

In a vacuum, this is a bummer for the Braves. Gray is a proven starter who is only guaranteed one more year of team control and that is right up Alex Anthopoulos' alley. The starting pitching market is significantly deeper than the woeful shortstop market, but losing a quality option like Gray still makes the Braves' job that much harder especially as other teams get more desperate to add arms as well.

However, not all the news was bad. Gray is 36 years old and coming off a down season. While most attribute his decline to St. Louis crumbling as a team, there is also a good chance that he is just in the middle of his natural decline as well. For a guy that is owed $35 million next year, that is a pretty problematic contract to take on even if it is just for one year.

We don't know yet what Boston gave up to acquire Gray other than to rework his contract to include a mutual option instead of a club option nor do we know how much of Gray's money the Cardinals are having to eat. Once those details come out, we'll have a better idea as to whether or not Atlanta made a mistake in not pushing harder to acquire him.