Two pitchers in the Twins’ rotation for 2023 have moved on.
Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda, two of the first starting pitchers off the free-agent roster, reportedly reached agreements. Maeda and the Detroit Tigers reached a two-year, $24 million agreement on Sunday, according to reports, and Gray is reportedly on his way to the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-year, $75 million contract.
After turning down the Twins’ qualifying offer, Gray accepted a deal worth more than $50 million, which means the Twins will get a draft pick between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A. The 34-year-old Gray had expressed his desire to explore the free-agent market for the first time in his career prior to turning down the Twins’ qualifying offer, which was worth $20.325 million for one season.
Even though Chris Paddack, who spent the majority of the previous season recovering from Tommy John surgery before making a comeback as a reliever, can step into the rotation, the Twins will prioritize adding another player to the rotation in the offseason. It won’t be simple to replace Gray, who finished second in the American League Cy Young Award race in his second season in Minnesota, especially for a team that is anticipated to make payroll cuts this offseason.
With 32 starts for the Twins and an earned run average of 2.79, Gray was an all-star in 2023. Throughout the season, he did not miss a start and threw 184 innings. Maeda battled through an arm injury for a while after a rough start to the season, but he ended 2023 with a 4.23 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) for the Twins.
