The Boston Red Sox have a lot of holes in their offense, but their pitching acquisitions have been sound. This includes Sonny Gray, whom they acquired last offseason from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for RHP Richard Fitts, top prospect left-hander Brandon Clarke, and minor-league RHP Patrick Galle.
There isn't much of a concern when it comes to Gray, as he's been performing as advertised. He's posted a 3.03 ERA with 51 strikeouts and an astounding 8-1 record on the year. So far, he's been lucky when it comes to his offense performing behind him, and it's helped him get to where he is now. His FIP is at 3.62, which also means he hasn't relied on his defense to help him out as much. The former Cy Young candidate in 2023 is looking towards another great season at 36 years old.
Red Sox should trade Sonny Gray to make room for Jake Bennett
But with top prospects coming up, the Red Sox may need to cut their losses with him. This also depends on what other teams are looking for. My best guess would be for them to sell him off to a future contender who's on the rise and needs starting pitching help, but also doesn't want to part with that many prospects.
At that point, the best team to acquire him is the Chicago White Sox. They have the sixth-best farm system in the MLB, but they also don't have the depth right now to go after a big front-line starter like a Freddy Peralta. They're playing with house money, and acquiring someone like Gray, who has a mutual option for 2027, would be a great piece to get for both of them.
The White Sox wouldn't have to bring over a huge haul for a rental pitcher, and they also get a good piece for their playoff push. Selling off Gray will also allow other pitching prospects the opportunity to shine. The biggest candidate here is Jake Bennett, Chowder and Champions' 4th overall prospect in the Red Sox system, who's posted a 1.60 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings pitched in Triple-A Worcester.
He's already made his Red Sox debut, but he's had a hard time staying up there with pitchers coming back from injuries. He's added a curveball to his arsenal, mainly to become more of a strikeout pitcher instead of a groundball pitcher. With a 29-41 Red Sox team, which is sitting in last place in a very stacked AL East, they need to realize that the time is not yet for them.
Yet again, this isn't a move that they would want to make, but it's a necessary one. There's no shame in packing it in and looking towards the future again. For CBO Craig Breslow, there's no doubt that these exact thoughts have already crept into his mind.
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