Breaking Down Financial Ramifications Of Red Sox’s Major Sonny Gray Trade

The Boston Red Sox have been busy early in the offseason, and they reportedly made their first splash move on Tuesday morning by acquiring Sonny Gray in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. Heading the other way are pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke, with the latter having been the team’s No. 5-ranked prospect, per MLB.com.

While the players involved will obviously draw headlines, there are several important financial details to take away from this deal. Gray is set to earn $41 million in 2026, but Boston won’t be on the hook for all of that money.

That’s because, as part of this deal, St. Louis will pay $20 million of Gray’s $41 million salary for next season. While Gray was initially set to make $35 million in 2026, he had a no-trade clause in his deal that the Cardinals triggered, resulting in a $5 million buyout. Gray also received an extra $1 million for waiving his no-trade clause to facilitate this deal.

“The Cardinals are sending the Red Sox $20M to cover Sonny Gray’s salary, sources tell ESPN,” Jeff Passan wrote in a post on X. “Gray’s contract will pay him $35M this year, and there is a $30M mutual option — not club, as had been previously reported — with a $5M buyout. Cash covers half of Gray’s guarantee.”

Before this deal, Boston was on the books for roughly $204 million heading into the 2026 season, per FanGraphs. That number will jump up to about $224 million as a result of this deal, with Fitts’ sub-$1 million salary coming off the books.

The Red Sox have shown a willingness to spend over the $244 million luxury tax in 2026, but even with this trade, they still have a lot of room to maneuver with moving forward. So while Gray’s contract may appear a bit expensive, Boston still has quite a bit of financial flexibility, which should help the team be busy in free agency.