New St. Louis Cardinals star's first bullpen session should have fans giddy
By Curt Bishop
On Tuesday, Sonny Gray threw his first bullpen session as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The team signed the veteran right-hander to a three-year, $75 million contract over the winter, finally landing their ace.
Gray's first bullpen session with the Cardinals went according to plan, with he and catcher Willson Contreras immediately finding themselves on the same page.
Gray called the hypothetical situation to Contreras and fired a fastball, prompting Contreras to compliment him by saying "nice." But Gray wasn't about to settle for nice.
"(Expletive) nasty," said Gray in response.
On Twitter, Katie Woo of The Athletic summed up Gray's first bullpen session, which should have Cardinals fans feeling pretty excited.
Sonny Gray threw a bullpen to Willson Contreras today. It went like this.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) February 13, 2024
More from Cards camp: https://t.co/EJO5zg04Gz Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras ready for roles as new Cardinals batterymates pic.twitter.com/ZUPUMYZ2ip
St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray throws 'nasty' bullpen session
Gray clearly was pleased with how his first bullpen went on Tuesday, as was Contreras.
This is an encouraging sign for the Cardinals. The team lost 91 games last season in finished at the bottom of the NL Central. But it's clear that there is some extra motivation in the Cardinals clubhouse this year.
Gray brings some competitive fire to a team that desperately needed it in 2023 but sorely lacked. Not only is Gray the ace the Cardinals and their fans have wanted for quite some time, but he also appears to be carrying an edge with him, as does the rest of the team.
Gray's attitude should help the Cardinals clubhouse vibe tremendously as the new season approaches.
He and Contreras are clearly both on the same page and ready to get to work in 2024, and the Cardinals certainly will have a chip on their shoulder entering the new season as they hope to put 2023 behind them.
In addition to the competitive fire he'll be bringing to the table, Gray is also somebody the Cardinals can trust to start a postseason game, and as such, the Cardinals should be able to bounce back into contention.
Fans will certainly be excited by Gray's first bullpen session and look forward to seeing him take the mound in his new Cardinals threads.
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