AL postseason picture tightens around Guardians after Red Sox’s latest move

On Tuesday the Boston Red Sox officially pushed their chips into the table by trading for Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray. 

Gray, 36, agreed to waive his no-trade clause to head to Boston in the deal and will slot in as the team’s No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet. 

While the Red Sox won’t stand in the Guardians way in their quest to win a third straight American League Central title, this deal serves as the official kick off the American League East’s arms race, which means that AL’s Wild Card race will be even tighter in 2026.

The rest of the American League keeps getting better around the Guardians

Boston’s deal for Gray is a clear win for Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, who has been slowly building the team in his image since he took over two years ago. 

The Red Sox, who made the postseason for the first time since 2021, are coming off a postseason where they lost to the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series, and adding Gray to the fold will go a long way toward making that happen. 

With that, it’s important the Guardians make moves to do the same after falling to the Tigers in the AL’s other Wild Card Series. We’re at a point in the offseason where there haven’t been a ton of big moves yet (Gray’s trade and the Mets weird deal with the Rangers notwithstanding), so the Guardians will have plenty of time to strike in the trade market or in free agency. 

But Boston’s deal for Gray is yet another reminder that this isn’t the offseason for the front office to sit on its hands. 

While adding Gray wouldn’t make sense for the Guardians thanks to the top-shelf options in their rotation, adding an impact reliever, outfielder or young, depth starter should be on the forefront of Chris Antonetti’s offseason plans. The good news for him is that the rebuilding Cardinals have plenty of players who could help with that. 

That said, the Guardians are no stranger to Gray, as his 115 1/3 career innings against the Guardians are the second-most he has against a single team. The last time he faced off against Cleveland he threw an 11-strikeout shutout at Progressive Field in June. 

The deal also provides a bit of a primer on what it’ll take to acquire some of the big options available in free agency. 

The Cardinals acquired pitching prospect Brandon Clarke (who was Boston’s No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) along with fellow pitcher Richard Fitts, PTBNL or cash. The Cardinals are also sending the Red Sox $20 million to cover part of his salary for 2026 along with the buyout of his club option. 

It’s a bit of a steep price to pay considering the Cardinals are paying down so much of Gray’s salary, but it’s the kind of deal Breslow would make 10-times-out-of-10 to keep pace in the American League. We’ll have to wait and see if the Guardians will do the same.