Richard Fitts

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today: 1. Cardinals’ rebuild in full swing: The first shot of St. Louis’s rebuild was fired yesterday when the club traded right-hander Sonny Gray (and $20MM cash) to the Red Sox for right-hander Richard Fitts, left-hander Brandon Clarke, and a player…

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today: 1. Cardinals’ rebuild in full swing: The first shot of St. Louis’s rebuild was fired yesterday when the club traded right-hander Sonny Gray (and $20MM cash) to the Red Sox for right-hander Richard Fitts, left-hander Brandon Clarke, and a player…

In a 13-year career with five teams, Gray is 125-102 with a 3.58 ERA and three All-Star Game appearances.

Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Cardinals will receive prospect left-hander Brandon Clarke and right-hander Richard Fitts. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom made no secret that the club was shopping Gray, but the veteran right-hander had to waive his no-trade clause in order to facilitate a trade. Evidently, he had no issues going to Boston. Gray turned 36 earlier this month and is coming off a 4.28 ERA with 201 strikeouts over 180 2/3 innings in 2025. Gray was previously owed $35 million in 2026, with a $5 million buyout of his $30 million club option for 2027. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the deal is being reworked, so Gray will get a $31 million salary in 2026, with mutual option buyout of $10 million. Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Cardinals are picking up $20 million of the $41 million guarantee.

Fitts was a huge riser in the Red Sox system in 2025 after coming over from the Yankees a few years ago for Alex Verdugo. Fitts added velocity to his fastball and deepened his pitch mix, which put him on the big league radar; however, he battled injuries and posted just a 5.00 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 40/16 K/BB ratio in 45 innings for the Red Sox in 2025. Even in his strong minor league season in 2024, he posted a 4.17 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 111/37 K/BB ratio in 116 2/3 innings at Triple-A. He could be a potential back-of-the-rotation starter, but he has yet to show the strikeout upside and solid WHIP to be more than that.