What might the St. Louis Cardinals be planning for this offseason?
If you’ve been keeping up, you probably know the two biggest names being discussed in trade rumors: Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado. Both players have uncertain futures with the club, and the organization appears willing to consider offers for either of them. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has confirmed that the team has already fielded calls about Gray and will keep exploring potential moves as the offseason continues.
Bloom also acknowledged that the team wants to add pitching and didn’t shut down the idea of a multi-year commitment while specifically talking about free agency. While that is the case, what about the trade block?
Most of the buzz around St. Louis will be about who the team could cut ties with, but what if they could add a piece in the process as well? One team the Cardinals should call is the New York Mets and see if they could add a pitcher in the process.
Here is a creative Cardinals-Mets mock trade the clubs should consider:
Cardinals receive: RHP Kodai Senga
Mets receive: RHP Sonny Gray, $5 million
Explanation:
This idea stems from the fact that reports have surfaced that teams have expressed trade interest in Senga from The Athletic’s Will Sammon.
“Senga is attracting trade interest from multiple teams, league sources said,” Sammon said. “Some clubs view Senga, 32, as an interesting buy-low candidate after he experienced an injury and ended the season in Triple-A due to poor performance.
“It is unclear, however, how open the Mets would be to trading him, though they’ve had conversations about their starting pitchers, including Senga, people briefed on the talks said.”
Senga signed a five-year, $75 million deal with the Mets that has a conditional club option for 2028 as well. It only kicks in if Senga has Tommy John surgery or a right elbow injury that keeps him on the IL for 130-plus days. Regardless, Senga is at least under contract for two more seasons at $15 million per year. Gray is under contract in 2026 for $35 million and then has a $30 million club option for 2027.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently linked Gray to the Mets among “great trade fits.”
This is just an exercise, but Senga would be a good fit for the Cardinals because he’s obviously talented, cheaper than Gray, and is under contract for at least two years. Plus, the Mets surprisingly sent him down to the minors in 2025, so there may be a disconnect there.
Gray would fit the Mets because he’s obviously talented and made 60 starts over the last two seasons, in comparison to 23 starts for Senga. He has a no-trade clause, but the Mets are closer to contention than the Cardinals. He would be a more dependable option, and if the Cardinals kicked in a little cash, maybe it could move the needle.
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