Reports: Sonny Gray Signs With Cardinals, Leaving Twins with Draft Pick, Hole in Rotation

[Dave Borton]

On 11/27/2023 at 10:45 AM, CRF said:

Or bringing back Rich Hill.

Shoot, resurrect Satchel Paige while we are at it.

Re: remaining a Twin. Sonny played coy last Fall.  “Going into this thing. I wanted to be a Cardinal,” Gray said at his introductory news conference at Busch Stadium. “That started probably a little over a year ago. https://www.mlb.com/news/sonny-gray-cardinals-deal

 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Somehow a rotation with Gray/Gibson/Lynn does not look good to me.  With Gray, if he needs to come out after 5 they need a good BP. Gibson has a career 4.54 era and last year it was 4.73.  He was never a big game pitcher.  Lynn has a career 3.74 era and last year was 5.73.   I will never think well of Lynn after his pouting Twins career, but I also think he is done.  Not sure the Cardinals are really a lot better. 

Agree 100% Mike.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 minutes ago, davidborton said:

Shoot, resurrect Satchel Paige while we are at it.

Re: remaining a Twin. Sonny played coy last Fall.  “Going into this thing. I wanted to be a Cardinal,” Gray said at his introductory news conference at Busch Stadium. “That started probably a little over a year ago. https://www.mlb.com/news/sonny-gray-cardinals-deal

 

Satchel Paige said one of my favorite quotes, which I use frequently as I grow older: "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." 

[Dave Borton]

5 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

 I will never think well of Lynn after his pouting Twins career, but I also think he is done. 

Last year, when he pitched for the Dodgers, I would go to bed w/his game on and root against him for the same reason. Very bad clubhouse demeanor reported.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

5 minutes ago, davidborton said:

Shoot, resurrect Satchel Paige while we are at it.

Re: remaining a Twin. Sonny played coy last Fall.  “Going into this thing. I wanted to be a Cardinal,” Gray said at his introductory news conference at Busch Stadium. “That started probably a little over a year ago. https://www.mlb.com/news/sonny-gray-cardinals-deal

 

Yeah, I heard that and it stung this Twin fan a little. But to be candid, if I were not a Twins fan, I would be a Cardinals fan, as are my son and grandson, even though we all live in North Carolina. The Cardinals just seem to be a classy organization. Plus the Budweiser horses trotting around the ball park are a spectacle I would love to see some day.  Stan the Man was a childhood hero of mine. As a Little Leaguer, I tried to imitate his unusual batting stance, to no avail. Plus the uniform with the red Cardinal perched on a yellow bat and the red hat with the script STL are beautiful. I'll sum up my final reason to pull for the Cardinals in 2 words: "Bob Gibson". 

[CRF]

1 hour ago, davidborton said:

Re: remaining a Twin. Sonny played coy last Fall.  “Going into this thing. I wanted to be a Cardinal,” Gray said at his introductory news conference at Busch Stadium. “That started probably a little over a year ago. https://www.mlb.com/news/sonny-gray-cardinals-deal

 

I'll be honest...when I saw the quote from Gray about wanting to be with the Cards, and that he felt that way a year ago...it kind of ticked me off a bit. Even if he felt that way, why would he admit that? We all suspected it, but it sure sounds like he couldn't get out of here fast enough. I hope we get to face him next summer and give him an early shower. 

[Jacksson]

Can't really find fault with Gray wanting to get out of Twinkie Town after his 2023 season.

32 starts, but a W-L record of 8-8 coupled with an ERA south of 3.00.

Those results are an embarrassment.  So 16 times Gray got a no decision either due to:

A quick hook by the Manager

An anemic offense that provided no run support.

A bullpen that couldn't hold and/or protect a lead.

An offensive rally that took place AFTER Gray was out of the game.

That doesn't take into account the 8 losses, which were for a variety of the above reasons.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Jacksson said:

Can't really find fault with Gray wanting to get out of Twinkie Town after his 2023 season.

32 starts, but a W-L record of 8-8 coupled with an ERA south of 3.00.

Those results are an embarrassment.  So 16 times Gray got a no decision either due to:

A quick hook by the Manager

An anemic offense that provided no run support.

A bullpen that couldn't hold and/or protect a lead.

An offensive rally that took place AFTER Gray was out of the game.

That doesn't take into account the 8 losses, which were for a variety of the above reasons.

He finished (correctly) 2nd in the Cy Young voting. even if he had gone 18-6, he wouldn't have won it. I find the argument that Gray wanted to get out of here so badly, and was treated poorly somehow to be absolutely baffling. He's gone because he got an offer for 3 years at $25M per with an organization he was interested in going to. He got more from the Cards than he was going to get from the Twins.

Gray didn't go the the Cards for more run support; Twins scored significantly more runs last season. he didn't go there to win more games next season; Cards were a last place team, behind the sorry, no-account Pirates and have a lot of work to do to get back to average (the offense is aging and they signed a lot of old pitchers...maybe not a great combo). He took the $75M at one of the few non-costal teams that might have paid it to him. (and good for him on that, but let's not start making up ways the Twins mystically offended the great Sonny Gray)

[Dave Borton]

2 hours ago, CRF said:

I'll be honest...when I saw the quote from Gray about wanting to be with the Cards, and that he felt that way a year ago...it kind of ticked me off a bit. Even if he felt that way, why would he admit that? .... I hope we get to face him next summer and give him an early shower. 

Loved the "early shower." Couldn't resist chuckling. You  can think "I wanted to be a Card a year ago" but you don't verbalize it after the fact. Good heavens, Sonny.

 

3 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

The Cardinals just seem to be a classy organization. Plus the Budweiser horses trotting around the ball park are a spectacle I would love to see some day.  Stan the Man was a childhood hero of mine.

Went to Busch Stadium about 4 years ago on an Amtrak ball crawl through the Midwest. They were playing the Pirates on a Tues night. Lousy opponent and there were 40,000 rabid fans there. They have a following that can't be beat.

 

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Jacksson said:

Can't really find fault with Gray wanting to get out of Twinkie Town after his 2023 season.

32 starts, but a W-L record of 8-8 coupled with an ERA south of 3.00.

Those results are an embarrassment.  So 16 times Gray got a no decision either due to:

A quick hook by the Manager

An anemic offense that provided no run support.

A bullpen that couldn't hold and/or protect a lead.

An offensive rally that took place AFTER Gray was out of the game.

That doesn't take into account the 8 losses, which were for a variety of the above reasons.

I don't think a pitcher has cared about their W/L record since Bartolo Colon robbed Johan Santana of a Cy Young award 18 years ago.

Gray started the most games, and threw more pitches and more innings than he has since he was 25. He finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting and just made himself 80M despite already being 34-years-old. Without even getting into Gray's glowing comments about the team after the season, I'm still beyond confident he has no animosity towards the team.

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, CRF said:

I'll be honest...when I saw the quote from Gray about wanting to be with the Cards, and that he felt that way a year ago...it kind of ticked me off a bit. Even if he felt that way, why would he admit that? We all suspected it, but it sure sounds like he couldn't get out of here fast enough. I hope we get to face him next summer and give him an early shower. 

You don't think players consider what they want in free agency until their actually a free agent? He always planned on being a free agent as he told Do-Hyoung Park, likely because he never got to search for that big payday before. He was nothing but complimentary about the Twins:

https://www.mlb.com/news/sonny-gray-on-possible-future-with-twins-before-hitting-free-agency

And the guy is from and still lives in Nashville. St. Louis, Atlanta and Cincinnati were the spots he could play and still be nearest home. Having the Cardinals give him the big payday probably was his dream scenario and it was no slight on the Twins.