The Cincinnati Reds pursued a reunion with Sonny Gray this offseason prior to his signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. Gray, the runner-up in voting for the American League Cy Young Award last year, clearly would have been a serious upgrade to the fledgling Reds starting rotation, and for a club with ‘limited’ resources to pursue a player who ultimately signed for some $75 million guaranteed, it’s clear that rotation help was their major priority.
The Reds did not get Gray. The Reds did get Frankie Montas, however, and got him at a much lower cost thanks to the precarious nature of his shoulder during the 2023 season.