Boston Red Sox fans received some surprising news on Tuesday morning as the Red Sox made their first big move of the offseason , trading Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to the St. Louis Cardinals for All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray and $20 million in cash considerations.

Initial reactions to the deal have been largely positive on both sides. The Red Sox got a proven starter to replace Lucas Giolito in the rotation, while the Cardinals shed some salary and picked up a pair of young pitchers.

One positive assessment of the trade came from former GM Jim Bowden, who called the trade a “win-win for both teams” in a post on X .

“The best trades are always the ones that work for both teams and certainly the #Cardinals trade of Sonny Gray &20m to the #RedSox for LHP Brandon Clarke and RHP

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