“He chose money over wins” – MLB Fans react as 3x All-Star Sonny Gray signs three-year $75 million deal with Cardinals

Sonny Gray finished the previous season with the Twins and had an 8-8 record with an ERA of 2.79.

“He chose money over wins” – MLB Fans react as 3x All-Star Sonny Gray signs three-year $75 million deal with Cardinals

Sonny Gray (Pic Credit: San-Diego Union Tribune)

Following their lackluster performances last season, the St. Louis Cardinals are now trying to make things right. The team endured a difficult campaign and finished with a poor 71-91 record and at the bottom of the National League Central table. In an attempt to stabilize their rotation, the team has signed 3-time All-Star Sonny Gray from free agency.

Gray (34) enjoyed a good season with the Minnesota Twins last time out. His performances throughout the year saw him nominated for the American League Cy Young Award. He would leave the Twins after this contract expired. The Southpaw has now inked a three-year, $75 million deal.

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He is the latest free-agent pitcher signed by the Cardinals in the past few days. The team previously acquired former Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn and ex-Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Gibson on one-year deals. The addition of Gray gives the struggling Cardinals some depth in their pitching line-up. Sonny Grey shed light on this during his introductory press conference from Busch Stadium

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Going into this thing. I wanted to be a Cardinal... It’s a place that every time I've come here as a visitor, I've looked at the stadium and I've said, ‘Wow, this place is incredible.
Sonny Gray

Fans reacts on social media at Sonny Gray’s move to St. Louis Cardinals

The loss of some veteran leaders from the clubhouse was always going to be tough for the St. Louis Cardinals. The end of the 2022 season saw them lose two of their inspirational leaders through retirement in the form of Albert Pujols and Yander Molina.

Their loss proved costly as the Cardinals went from a 93-69 winning record to an unwanted 71-91 losing record. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins came back from a poor season in 2022 to win the American League Central in 2023.

Sonny Gray
Sonny Gray (Pic Credit: AP)

The fans on social media pointed this out and claimed the Cardinals are now in their rebuilding phase. One angry user wrote that he chose money over wins, as the Twins are more likely to succeed next season. Check out some reactions regarding this crucial MLB development below:

https://twitter.com/antaor065/status/1729165188447051989?t=okjanFHe7fGyN76lZhpqug&s=19
https://twitter.com/CoreySeagerTX/status/1729148994524492001?t=bMjxV0neYgvemFg4xD6MLQ&s=19

As per his contract, Gray is expected to make around $25 million per year. Some fans even pointed out the contract that Aaron Nola recently signed with the Phillies. The 30-year-old agreed to a seven-year $172 million deal, which will see him earn nearly $24.5 million per year.

Coming back to Gray, he finished the previous season with an 8-8 record. During this, he pitched with an ERA of 2.79 and managed to pick up 183 strikeouts in 32 games. His last start came against the Houston Astros in the American League Division series, which the Astros won.

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