What specialists mentioned of Pink Sox’ transfer

Boston Pink Sox

“I do not know what they’re pondering precisely — however it was an attention-grabbing option to me.”

Craig Breslow and the Pink Sox’ prime brass received a head begin to a busy offseason on Tuesday — putting a cope with the Cardinals that landed veteran starter Sonny Grey. 

Boston dealt a pair of youthful pitchers in Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to pry Grey — a three-time All-Star — out of St. Louis, with the Cardinals additionally handing Boston $20 million within the deal to offset a few of Grey’s reworked wage for the 2026 season.

Grey ought to be a helpful arm in Boston’s beginning rotation this summer season. However is Grey a official No. 2 possibility behind Garrett Crochet, and did the Pink Sox hand over an excessive amount of for a 36-year-old pitcher? 

Right here’s what a number of baseball specialists are saying about Breslow’s newest transfer.

ESPN

Grade: B+

ESPN’s David Schoenfield famous in his grading of the Pink Sox’s deal that Boston didn’t precisely plunder its personal farm system with a view to get a strong arm like Grey out of St. Louis.

“Fitts might be a bottom-of-the-rotation man, and given the holes within the St. Louis rotation, is sort of sure to get that chance,” Schoenfield wrote. “His four-seam fastball, sitting 95-96, was an efficient pitch within the 10 begins he made for the Pink Sox in 2025, however he hasn’t actually developed a reliable secondary providing.

“ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel rated [Clarke] the No. 9 prospect within the Boston system in August and whereas there’s apparent upside if every little thing comes collectively, he’s not near the majors and the profile screams reliever threat,” Schoenfield added. 

As for Grey, Schoenfield famous that Grey has plus stuff on the mound after main all Nationwide League starters in strikeout-to-walk ratio — whereas rating fourth within the majors amongst starters with a virtually 52 p.c strikeout fee and holding opponents to a .135 common when getting two strikes on them.

However Schoenfeld added that Grey’s fastball was typically hit onerous final season — with opponents batting .370 and slugging .585 in opposition to his four-seamer. 

“Can that be mounted? With a fastball that averages 92 mph, possibly not,” Schoenfield added. “Grey did throw his three fastball variants 53% of the time, so possibly the Pink Sox recommend a distinct pitch combine — the four-seamer, whereas it offers him the one pitch Grey throws up within the zone, has been hammered two years in a row now, however was nonetheless the pitch he threw most frequently in 2025.

“Total, Grey plugs a giant gap with out the Pink Sox paying out a long-term contract — and the Pink Sox didn’t hand over anyone who projected to be an influence participant for them in 2026 (akin to starters Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, who debuted this previous season and might be within the 2026 rotation).”

CBS

Grade: A

CBS Sports activities’ R.J. Anderson gave Boston excessive marks — noting that the Pink Sox managed to keep away from taking over the whole lot of Grey’s altered contract that can basically pay him $41 million in 2026. 

“Right here, the Pink Sox not solely leveraged their pitching depth to land one other high quality starter, they did it whereas creatively sustaining monetary flexibility that ought to turn out to be useful all through the winter,” Anderson wrote.

“Grey, 36, is perhaps probably the most underrated pitcher of his era. Throughout components of 13 seasons, he’s amassed a 117 ERA+, a 3.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and greater than 33 Wins Above Substitute,” Anderson added. “He’s logged a minimum of 150 innings in every of the previous three seasons, and final yr’s inflated ERA shouldn’t trigger an excessive amount of concern. In case you examine his metrics on a year-to-year foundation, he noticed enhancements in 2025 in each his common exit velocity and his stroll fee (and subsequently his strikeout-to-walk ratio).”

Even when Boston isn’t precisely on the hook for Grey’s total contract, Boston remains to be closing in on the primary threshold of the aggressive steadiness tax after taking over over $20 million of Grey’s deal.

The Athletic

Grade: A-

Chad Jennings of The Athletic additionally believed that concentrating on Grey — even when he finally ends up serving as only a rental — was the proper transfer for a Pink Sox crew that’s trying to capitalize on this present competition window. 

“These two groups are in remarkably completely different locations, attempting to do remarkably various things,” Jennings wrote. “That’s why the deal works so properly for either side. The Pink Sox are able to win, and amongst their most obtrusive short-term wants — an issue that already damage them within the playoffs this season — was a No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet. 

“Grey fills that void, providing expertise and strikeouts with out issuing a ton of walks. He’s a rental, and never particularly low-cost even with the Cardinals overlaying roughly half of his wage, however he suits the second, and positions the Pink Sox as a crew dedicated to successful. Not like within the earlier season, they’d some younger pitching depth that they might afford to commerce.”

USA Right this moment

Grade: B

USA Right this moment’s Charles Curtis believed each the Pink Sox and Cardinals benefitted from this commerce, with Boston buying a robust arm in its rotation and St. Louis accepting an inevitable retooling by transferring Grey for future belongings.

“This one is pretty easy: Grey is growing old, however he’s nonetheless a strong veteran starter who has received 27 video games over the previous two seasons and who can nonetheless has the potential to be a sub-4.00 ERA pitcher,” Curtis wrote. “He’ll eat up some innings, too. They didn’t break the financial institution and received an improve within the rotation. Appears strong, if unspectacular. Plus, the Cardinals are paying some cash for Grey, which helps!”

Ken Rosenthal

Whereas the longtime baseball scribe didn’t hand out a grade following Tuesday’s commerce, he did query whether or not or not the Pink Sox extracted prime worth on this swap — particularly if Grey stands as extra of an improve over Lucas Giolito than a official No. 2 possibility behind Crochet. 

“My expectation from the Pink Sox was that they have been going to go to a man they believed would slot in with some certainty as a quantity two starter in a postseason sequence behind Garrett Crochet,” Rosenthal mentioned on “Foul Territory. “I’m undecided Sonny Grey at 36 years previous, is that anymore … I assumed the Cardinals did properly. 

“I’m undecided the Pink Sox did properly sufficient, however possibly they see this in a different way. Possibly they are saying, ‘You realize what? ‘We’re not doing $150 million [for] Dylan Stop, or Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez or [Tatsuya] Imai. “No, let’s do one yr with Sonny Grey.’ Do another issues to improve offensively. Possibly get one other lesser starter as properly. I don’t know what they’re pondering precisely — however it was an attention-grabbing option to me, the one which they made.”

 

Conor Ryan is a workers author overlaying the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Pink Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.