The Twins extended a one-year, $20.325 million offer to Sonny Gray on Monday, as had long been expected. Gray, however, is expected to decline the offer by the Nov. 14 deadline and see what comes by way of free agency this winter.
Gray was outstanding in his second season in Minnesota, finishing the 2023 season with a 2.79 ERA, third best in the majors. The 33-year-old’s career year saw him named a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award, alongside the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman.
Starting Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series against Toronto, Gray pitched five scoreless innings and allowed five hits and two walks while striking out six Blue Jays. Gray’s follow-up performance in the Divisional Series against Houston did not go as well, as the Astros lit him up for five runs in just four innings of work.
With Gray presumably intent on testing free agency for the first time in his career, as well as starter Kenta Maeda leaving this winter, the Twins will be in search of starting arms over the next several months. Minnesota’s 2024 starting staff, currently, features Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober. Louie Varland could be seen as a potential 2024 rotation option after pitching out of the bullpen late in the 2023 season.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote Sunday the Twins plan on using “position player depth to acquire arms in trades” this winter. Minnesota recently picked up the options for Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco, and both could be seen as ideal trade candidates in packages for starting-caliber arms.
In comments after the Twins were eliminated from the playoffs, Gray didn’t rule out a return to Minnesota.
“We want to go to a place where you feel wanted,” Gray said. “There are a lot of factors that go into those decisions. It’s not only me making it. As anyone who’s known me throughout the course of this year and last year, there are a lot of other things that go into it, my wife and my kids a big part of it. But I do love it here.”
