The Boston Red Sox made most of their offseason roster edits on the trade market, taking advantage of their ample prospect depth. The St. Louis Cardinals have been their most frequent trade partner as of late, and the Sonny Gray trade was the first of Craig Breslow's major moves over the winter.
At the time, many Boston fans were uncertain if Gray was the No. 2, top of the rotation starter Breslow said he coveted this winter. Together, Gray and Ranger Suárez make excellent additions to the front of the Sox's staff.
The Red Sox will get just one year of Gray, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026 campaign, in exchange for pitcher Richard Fitts and top pitching prospect Brandon Clarke. Some fans were sad to see both pitchers go — Fitts served the Red Sox well in a depth role and he was an active participant in goofy dugout celebrations while Clarke throws gas at 22-years-old.
Boston may have moved on from Clarke just at the right time, however. The lefty flamethrower will be sidelined until June, according to Brian Walton of Cardinal Nation. Clarke recently experienced a shoulder aneurysm that required surgery to correct, which was reportedly successful.
The Red Sox traded Brandon Clarke to the Cardinals at the right time as he sustains another injury
Clarke will lose the first half-season of his Cardinals career, which would've been another half-season lost with the Sox. He pitched just 38 innings last year after dealing with recurring blisters and he has a long injury history besides that — the Red Sox may have seen the writing on the wall.
Clarke underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, and after that he had to get surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome and experienced a stress fracture in his shoulder all before his professional career began. Boston selected Clarke in the 2024 MLB Draft and he didn't make his organizational debut until the following season, causing him to miss even more critical innings.
Besides his injury issues, Clarke's command needs work and his arsenal needs deepening if he's to be developed as a starter. His fastball touches triple-digits at its best but doesn't miss bats regularly, while his slider is his best pitch which could be even better with more consistency (per SoxProspects).
The Red Sox have more than enough pitching depth that Clarke became an afterthought in their program. He'll likely start the upcoming season where he finished the last one, in High-A, giving him quite a few levels to jump before he can reach the major leagues. Given his injury history, it could take another season or two before he's ready for his big league debut, and Boston clearly didn't want to wait that long.
The Sox sold high on Clarke before yet another injury set in that could've hurt his value. Now more than ever, the Gray trade looks like a savvy move by Breslow.