The St. Louis Cardinals made a big splash on Monday in a move that will give a much-needed boost to their rotation. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals locked All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray to a three-year deal.

Reportedly, Gray received an average annual salary of $25 million, which brings the total value of the deal to $75 million.

Gray had a strong 2023 campaign, making 32 starts with the Minnesota Twins. He went 8-8, posting a 2.79 ERA with 183 strikeouts. The 34-year-old player also allowed only eight home runs, earning his third career All-Star nod and finishing second in American League Cy Young Award voting.

The Cardinals entered the offseason with only two starting pitchers on their books: Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak tackled the issue by adding Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson on short-term deals last week and now beating several teams to land Gray. The moves give them one of the more experienced rotations in the league and provide hope they can improve on the disappointing 71-91 finish in 2023.

Sonny Gray will be playing his 12th season in the majors in 2024. He started his career in 2013 with the Oakland Athletics, where he spent five years before embarking on stints with the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and the Twins. He has a career record of 98–85 with a 3.47 ERA and 1,521 strikeouts.

The post St. Louis Cardinals Agree to 3-Year, $75 Million Deal With All-Star RHP Sonny Gray appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Cincinnati Reds are quickly seeing their playoff hopes fade, and the addition of starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the 10-day injured list is yet another obstacle the team will have to overcome if they want to make a run.

Currently 3 games out of the final NL playoff spot, it appears that the Reds might not get Gray back for the rest of the regular season.

The righty starter left after pitching just 3.1 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, giving up 5 runs, 6 hits, and 3 walks. While he was removed from the game due to a bad outing, it was revealed on Sunday that he is dealing with a right mid-back strain that might explain why he struggled.

Gray, a 2019 NL All-Star for Cincinnati, has been a stalwart in the team’s rotation since coming over in a trade with the New York Yankees in January of that season.

He had gotten off to a hot start to 2020 as well, but a pair of rough outings raised his ERA to 3.94 on the season to go along with a 5-3 record.

Gray would be eligible to return from the DL on September 21st, under a week before the season ends, but his recovery from a bothersome back injury will dictate whether or not the Reds will see him return this year.

The post Reds SP Sonny Gray Heads to IL with Back Strain appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cincinnati Reds are entering the 2020 MLB season with a new starter. Reds’ manager David Bell announced on Wednesday that All-Star Sonny Gray will step in as the team’s Opening Day pitcher against Detroit Tigers on July 24th.

Gray got the nod ahead of Luis Castillo who started last season. The 30-year-old right-hander is set to be Reds’ fifth different starter since 2016.

Castillo, who had his first career All-Star appearance last season, will be second in rotation with Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley, and Anthony DeSclafani filling in the rest of the depth chart.

Explaining his decision, Bell said that he took into consideration the readiness of the players and the matchups Cincinnati will face early in the season.

“It tells the story right there,” said Bell. “When you have Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer and Wade Miley and Anthony DeSclafani—who made great strides last year—and none of those guys is the opening day starter, it says a lot.”

For Sonny Gray, who joined Cincinnati just last season, this will be his third career Opening Day start. He got his first two with Oakland Athletics, getting a win and ND while combining for 14 shutout innings.

Gray finished 2019 with 2.87 ERA and 205 strikeouts while posting an 11-8 record.

“It’s going to be an important day,” said Gray. “Baseball will be back, and it will be back in some of the weirdest and craziest circumstances.”

The post Reds’ Sonny Gray to Start Ahead of Luis Castillo on the Opening Day appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The St. Louis Cardinals made a big splash on Monday in a move that will give a much-needed boost to their rotation. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals locked All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray to a three-year deal.

Reportedly, Gray received an average annual salary of $25 million, which brings the total value of the deal to $75 million.

Gray had a strong 2023 campaign, making 32 starts with the Minnesota Twins. He went 8-8, posting a 2.79 ERA with 183 strikeouts. The 34-year-old player also allowed only eight home runs, earning his third career All-Star nod and finishing second in American League Cy Young Award voting.

The Cardinals entered the offseason with only two starting pitchers on their books: Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak tackled the issue by adding Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson on short-term deals last week and now beating several teams to land Gray. The moves give them one of the more experienced rotations in the league and provide hope they can improve on the disappointing 71-91 finish in 2023.

Sonny Gray will be playing his 12th season in the majors in 2024. He started his career in 2013 with the Oakland Athletics, where he spent five years before embarking on stints with the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and the Twins. He has a career record of 98–85 with a 3.47 ERA and 1,521 strikeouts.

The post St. Louis Cardinals Agree to 3-Year, $75 Million Deal With All-Star RHP Sonny Gray appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Cincinnati Reds are quickly seeing their playoff hopes fade, and the addition of starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the 10-day injured list is yet another obstacle the team will have to overcome if they want to make a run.

Currently 3 games out of the final NL playoff spot, it appears that the Reds might not get Gray back for the rest of the regular season.

The righty starter left after pitching just 3.1 innings against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, giving up 5 runs, 6 hits, and 3 walks. While he was removed from the game due to a bad outing, it was revealed on Sunday that he is dealing with a right mid-back strain that might explain why he struggled.

Gray, a 2019 NL All-Star for Cincinnati, has been a stalwart in the team’s rotation since coming over in a trade with the New York Yankees in January of that season.

He had gotten off to a hot start to 2020 as well, but a pair of rough outings raised his ERA to 3.94 on the season to go along with a 5-3 record.

Gray would be eligible to return from the DL on September 21st, under a week before the season ends, but his recovery from a bothersome back injury will dictate whether or not the Reds will see him return this year.

The post Reds SP Sonny Gray Heads to IL with Back Strain appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cincinnati Reds are entering the 2020 MLB season with a new starter. Reds’ manager David Bell announced on Wednesday that All-Star Sonny Gray will step in as the team’s Opening Day pitcher against Detroit Tigers on July 24th.

Gray got the nod ahead of Luis Castillo who started last season. The 30-year-old right-hander is set to be Reds’ fifth different starter since 2016.

Castillo, who had his first career All-Star appearance last season, will be second in rotation with Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley, and Anthony DeSclafani filling in the rest of the depth chart.

Explaining his decision, Bell said that he took into consideration the readiness of the players and the matchups Cincinnati will face early in the season.

“It tells the story right there,” said Bell. “When you have Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer and Wade Miley and Anthony DeSclafani—who made great strides last year—and none of those guys is the opening day starter, it says a lot.”

For Sonny Gray, who joined Cincinnati just last season, this will be his third career Opening Day start. He got his first two with Oakland Athletics, getting a win and ND while combining for 14 shutout innings.

Gray finished 2019 with 2.87 ERA and 205 strikeouts while posting an 11-8 record.

“It’s going to be an important day,” said Gray. “Baseball will be back, and it will be back in some of the weirdest and craziest circumstances.”

The post Reds’ Sonny Gray to Start Ahead of Luis Castillo on the Opening Day appeared first on SportzBonanza.