Each MLB season there seem to be a few players who stand out amongst the rest.
One player who had a great 2023 MLB season was Minnesota Twins pitcher Sonny Gray.
He helped lead the Twins to the playoffs including their first playoff series win in a long time.
Thanks to his successful season, Gray went into free agency looking for a massive payday.
That is exactly what he got from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Gray will take his dominant “sweeper” pitch to St. Louis with hopes of leading the Cardinals back to the playoffs.
According to MLB Network, Gray’s sweeper allowed the lowest opponent slugging percentage in baseball in 2023.
Opposing hitters only slugged .118 against the pitch.
Lowest Opp. SLG vs. single pitch, 2023 season (min. 100 PA):
.118 – Sonny Gray’s sweeper
.140 – Blake Snell’s curveball
.147 – Kodai Senga’s forkball pic.twitter.com/6ONpIgU4gh— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 14, 2024
Gray is entering his age-34 season next year.
But he fully expects to be at the top of his game once again.
The Cardinals are hoping to get back to being a threat in the NL.
After an underwhelming 2023 season, the Cardinals know they have changes to make.
Their starting pitching was a glaring issue and signing Gray was a good move.
Still, the Cardinals have money to work with and should remain aggressive in free agency.
The Cardinals need more help in their starting rotation.
Gray is not going to solve all their issues.
St. Louis also picked up Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson in free agency.
But neither of them is a difference maker.
If the Cardinals are serious about getting back into World Series contention, they will make a few more impact signings.
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