ST. LOUIS – Sonny Gray, last year’s American League Cy Young runner-up and three-time All-Star, headlines a new-look starting rotation for the St. Louis Cardinals.
After signing a three-year, $75 million contract with the Cardinals in November, Gray quickly noted that the team’s history and tradition drew him to St. Louis. He echoed a similar sentiment Saturday during his first Cardinals Winter Warm-Up appearance.
Gray spent several minutes discussing his views on “The Cardinal Way,” and he feels that philosophies embraced within the organization are timeless, even after last season’s setbacks.
“I’ve heard ‘The Cardinal Way, The Cardinal Way, The Cardinal Way’ my whole career,” said Gray. “I think everyone’s Cardinal Way might have a little bit of a different meaning, but I think the guts and the foundation of it are still there. And the foundation is still very strong. It gets tweaked, but everything gets tweaked. You have to continue to grow.”
He continued on the matter, “I think being able to put your own stamp or footprint on something is something I look forward to being able to do, but I’m not doing it by myself. … You got so many guys and people, and coaches and players that pick you up when you need it, and put it on [their footprint] with you. I look forward to putting my footprint all over this organization, but in the right way, and with other people right next to me.”
Key comments from John Mozeliak at Cardinals’ Winter Warm-Up
A Tennessee native, Gray didn’t grow up too far from Cardinals territory. Lead executive John Mozeliak said Gray was someone St. Louis wanted to draft more than a decade ago before he joined the Oakland Athletics.
Eleven seasons and four teams later, Gray is now a St. Louis Cardinal. He says the team name carries a big meaning to him as well.
“What a Cardinal bird itself is, you see a Cardinal, and it [represents] a loved one passing on. It’s a remembrance of them every time you see a Cardinal. I picked that up, and I’m like ‘Wow.’ That’s special. That holds a place in my heart.”
Gray says he’s spoken with new battery mate Willson Contreras a few times already and looks forward to building a strong relationship with him.
“A highly competitive guy, which I like,” said Gray on Contreras. “We’ll be on the same page with that. He seems to be high-energy, which I like. Conversations have been great. Every time we talk, he’s looking to bring back a championship to St. Louis. I look forward to getting down [to Jupiter, Florida for spring training] and working with him.”
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