Gordon WittenmyerCincinnati Enquirer
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ST. LOUIS – During the St. Louis Cardinals’ recent trip to Cincinnati, former Reds pitcher Sonny Gray was in no mood for what-might-have-been stories.
“I’d rather not talk about it, to be honest with you,” he said.
Instead, the three-time All-Star might just show Reds Country what might have been when he faces the Reds Saturday in St. Louis for the first time this season during what suddenly looks like an especially important midseason series for the Reds.
To be clear, what might have been is that Gray could be wearing a Reds uniform for this start if the Reds had their way during their aggressive, early-winter pursuit of free agent pitchers, including Gray as the top target – and if a certain former teammate had been able to make a package deal work with the Reds.
“They were one of the first teams that I talked to, and the offer was very similar,” said Gray, who signed a three-year, $75 million on the Monday after Thanksgiving – the same week the Reds signed swingman Nick Martinez and reliever Emilio Pagán.
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But Gray told St. Louis media after the signing he set his sights on the Cardinals more than a year ahead of free agency because of their “incredible” vibe at the ballpark and their competitive tradition. He waited to talk to them even as rival clubs such as the Reds targeted him immediately.
If the Reds had any advantage beyond continued good relationships with Gray since trading him to the Minnesota Twins during their spring roster purge of 2022, it was that reliever the Reds signed away from the Twins in the same timeframe.
“We were in constant communication,” said Pagán, who worked on Gray to take the Reds offer and go to Cincinnati as basically a package deal. “I think it could have been.
“I did my best recruiting pitch. Unfortunately, I found out I’m not the best recruiter. So I’ve got to work on that for the future.”
If he had been a better recruiter?
No guarantees the Reds would be knocking on the first-place Brewers’ door in the National League Central, in playoff position halfway through the season and on a 10-4 hot streak entering this four-game division series like the Cardinals are.
But since returning from a spring hamstring injury two weeks into the season, Gray has been the best pitcher in the division, looking like he’s on the way to a fourth All-Star appearance.
He’s 9-4 with a 2.81 ERA and 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings – the Cardinals also won his lone no-decision – and that includes 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in three starts during the Cards’ two-week hot streak.
“I tried hard to get him here,” Pagán said. “At the end of the day I’m really happy for him. But I wish he was here.
“I don’t say that because I don’t think we have enough.”
The Reds’ pitching has been their strength this season despite the struggles, especially the rotation that wound up with Frankie Montas (3-5, 4.48) added to the mix about a month after missing on Gray.
“I say that because I know what (Gray) brings to not only a pitching staff but to an organization, to a city,” Pagán said. “When you bring that high quality of a person into your building the entire building gets better. Not just the pitching staff. Not just the win-loss record.”
That was a major factor in the Reds’ interest in the first place, after experiencing three seasons with Gray on the Reds’ staff.
“I loved Cincinnati,” said Gray, who caught up with a few old friends when the Cardinals were in town last month, including pitching coach Derek Johnson – Gray’s old college coach at Vanderbilt. “Seeing everyone that I still knew from over there does bring back a lot of good memories.”
But apparently it was never going to be enough to put the Reds over the top against the Cardinals last winter. Or maybe even this summer.
“Sorry not to get into that,” he said. “I just don’t want to live through it again.”
Said Pagán: “The decisions come down to a lot more than just baseball when you get to (that) part in a career path. He’s got to make a decision that’s best for him and his family and not just for him. They’re an amazing family, amazing people. I’m really happy that they ended up where they wanted to be in a place where they’re happy and comfortable.”
Gray, 34, has made the playoffs three times in his career, including last year, but reached the League Championship Series just once (2017 with the Yankees) and is still looking for his first World Series.
The Cardinals’ 11 championships are second only to the Yankees’ 27.
The Reds have five, including one in 1919 that the other team lost on purpose, and have gone longer than any American major-league sports team without winning a playoff round (29 years).
Whether that played a role in Gray’s free agency decision, he said he’s happy where he landed, and “I’ll just keep pushing forward.”
No matter how tempted Pagán or anyone else might be Friday to imagine what might have been if Gray was in the other team’s uniform.
“I know he loved it here, when he was here the first time,” Pagán said. “As a friend and as a teammate, I’m happy for him. Selfishly, I would have loved for him to be here for sure.
“He does so much for an organization,” Pagán added. “Obviously the pitcher, yeah, I’d love to have him. But the human, the intangibles that he has – every team in baseball is better with Sonny Gray on it.”
