The chatter around Sonny Gray’s future in Boston is getting louder, and the latest projections keep pointing him away from the Red Sox after 2026.
Gray delivered exactly what Boston hoped for when it brought him in as the No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet. Instead, he produced one of the best seasons of his career at age 37, going 18-5 with a league-leading win total, a 2.72 ERA and a 149-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 169 innings. Without that kind of production, the Red Sox don’t make the kind of turnaround that got them into the playoffs.
Even with that impact, the expectation around the league is that Gray will hit the market and land somewhere else. ESPN’s Paul Hembekides was the latest to connect him with the Atlanta Braves, saying on Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney:
"I'm sending him to Atlanta," Hembekides said of Gray. "Two years, $42 million dollars.
I think the worst-kept secret in baseball is that he wants to live in the southeastern part of the country. I view the Braves as bringing him in, in addition as bringing back Tyler Mahle."
That isn’t an isolated read. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned the Braves as a fit back in October, and The Athletic’s Jim Bowden listed Atlanta as one of three possible destinations, alongside the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres.
The Braves also had interest in Gray before the trade deadline, which only adds fuel to the idea that they’re more than just a speculative landing spot. WEEI’s Rob Bradford added to the skepticism about a Boston return, saying he’s "not optimistic" about Gray coming back in 2027.
Gray’s mutual option was turned down, and at this point the signs are leaning hard toward him leaving Boston. If that happens, he’d be remembered as another one-and-done Red Sox veteran, alongside names like Alex Bregman and Adrian Beltre. There’s still a chance the market doesn’t fully come together, but for now, the odds don’t look great.
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One name that has surfaced as an intriguing external fit is Cubs All-Star Shota Imanaga, a polished left-hander who would add quality in a hurry. The complication is obvious: Boston already has several left-handed starters in the projected group, so any pursuit of Imanaga would force the front office to balance talent against the shape of the rotation it has spent time building. [Read more 🡒]