San Francisco Giants
Gray already played the role of the reliable and seasoned veteran with the Twins, pairing well with Pablo Lopez as he ascended to become the team's ace. It's a position he might find himself in again next season if the San Francisco Giants come calling.
San Francisco can't let the Twins get the upper hand twice, can they? After losing out on Carlos Correa, who was among the absolute best signings of the offseason in hindsight, the Giants meandered through the season and ended up finishing in fourth place out West. If we know anything about the Giants, it's that they're a cyclical ballclub and the trend suggests that after a down year they always bounce back as contenders.
That could be the case in 2024 thanks to the youth movement happening in the Bay Area. Much like how the Twins rode some hot rookies into October, the Giants have a handful of young prospects who could make an impact -- and plenty of them are on the pitching staff.
Kyle Harrison is the biggest name, as he looks like the next young ace to come out of San Francisco's farm system. He's joined by guys like Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn, both of whom could be impactful mid-rotation starters next year. Sound familiar?
On top of those young players, the Giants still have Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, and Gray's old teammate Sean Manaea. Cobb has a club option while Manaea has a $12.5M player option he'll almost certainly exercise. Add Sonny Gray into this mix and all of a sudden the Giants have an incredibly deep and potentially potent starting rotation.
One thing the Twins did wisely was stack its pitching and build it for October. The Giants having Gray, Webb, Harrison, Beck, Winn, and Manaea as playoff series options sounds pretty ideal.