Cardinals could ship ace to Reds to kick off much needed rebuild

The time has come for the St. Louis Cardinals to enter a rebuild. The team fell short of the postseason for the second consecutive year after finishing the season 83-79.

Depending on how drastic the rebuild is for St. Louis, we could see them trade players such as Sonny Gray, Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and even Erick Fedde.

Gray is listed as the 10th best trade chip on Bleacher Report by Joel Reuter. He was signed to a three-year, $75 million contract last offseason to be their ace.

Perhaps the Cardinals could link up with the Cincinnati Reds and send Gray back to his old team.

"After finishing runner-up in AL Cy Young voting for the Minnesota Twins in 2023, veteran Sonny Gray signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals early last offseason as they worked to rebuild their starting rotation," Reuter wrote. "His contract was backloaded, and that remaining money takes a bit out of his trade value, but he has a lengthy track record as a frontline option and should generate plenty of interest if he is made available.

Gray does have a no-trade clause, so that will complicate matters. Trades within the same division are also quite rare.

Still, there are some young pieces the Cardinals could get back from the Reds if they trade Gray to Cincinnati.

The Reds have three intriguing pitching prospects in right-handers Chase Petty, Julian Aguiar, and Connor Phillips. Aguiar and Phillips both made their Major League debuts this past season.

The Cardinals will likely seek young, cost-controlled pitching that can help them almost immediately. While Gray's value isn't quite as high as somebody like Ryan Helsley, he could still get the Cardinals a decent package.

We'll see if the Cardinals end up trading him as part of their rebuild.

More MLB: Cardinals could target Astros veteran to bolster rotation for 2025