Baseball fans were surprised on Tuesday with the news that the Cardinals dealt Sonny Gray to the Red Sox. Boston was a bit of an odd fit, especially given that most thought they were shopping in a higher tier of the trade market, and the Cardinals took on a pair of intriguing arms while getting a bit of salary relief. However, for the Houston Astros, it may have created a wrinkle in their offseason plans that is hard to nail down.
On the surface, Gray was a fringe Astros trade target to address their starting pitch depth issue.