3 moves John Mozeliak can make to save Cardinals offseason

3) John Mozeliak can save the Cardinals offseason by signing Sonny Gray

Let's say the Cardinals have no desire to give an ace like Yamamoto, Blake Snell, or Jordan Montgomery the six or seven years they're going to get in free agency. They could instead look to sign a different ace like Sonny Gray, who will likely only get three or four years in free agency.

Gray being 34 years old comes with the certainty that he won't require as large of a contract as the other starters in terms of the duration of the contract, but it also comes with the possibility that he could regress quickly.

Fortunately, Gray has a long way to go before he'd become anything close to a negative on the mound as he was one of the best pitchers in the American League in 2023. Gray finished as the AL Cy Young runner-up to Gerrit Cole after posting a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts and 184 innings pitched for the Twins.

Gray might not be as big of a name or have the stuff other top free agents have, but he's as reliable of an arm as they come in the majors right now. One pitcher isn't enough, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.