Sonny Gray’s return to Boston is still on the table, but the Red Sox may have a hard line when it comes to the money.
That’s the biggest wrinkle in this winter’s free-agent conversation around the three-time All-Star. WEEI’s Rob Bradford didn’t shut the door on a reunion, but he made it clear he isn’t expecting one unless the price lands in a range Boston is willing to meet.
“I think he’s going to get some money as a free agent now,” Bradford said. “I don’t buy that he’ll go anywhere for the money.
I think he is firmly dug in that there are places that he’d go with his family. I don’t think he’s ruling out the Red Sox.
The problem is that with guys like that, the Red Sox might say, ‘Hey, if you’re not going to come at our price, we are going to get someone else at a lower price.’ ...
“I wouldn’t rule out Sonny Gray, but I’m not optimistic about Sonny Gray.”
Gray’s season in Boston was the kind that changes a team’s thinking. In his first year with the Red Sox after being acquired from the St.
Louis Cardinals, he led the league with 18 wins and finished with a 2.72 ERA and a 149-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 169 innings. For a pitcher who entered the year with some skepticism attached to his 2025 numbers, he answered just about every question.
Before arriving in Boston, Gray posted a 4.28 ERA with a 201-to-38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 180 2/3 innings. That was enough to make some fans uneasy when the trade happened last offseason. Instead, he turned in one of the best pitching seasons in the league.
Now the market is the issue. Gray is positioned to land another multi-year contract, and the projections show a wide gap in how teams might value him.
Spotrac has him at a little over $58 million over three years, while The Athletic sees a deal closer to $55 million over two years. ESPN’s projection is lower, putting him in the range of $42 million over two years.
That ESPN number may be the sweet spot for Boston. A two-year deal at about $21 million per season would be the kind of contract the Red Sox could realistically entertain. The longer projections are tougher to swallow: Spotrac’s figure is spread over three years and would run through his age-39 season, while The Athletic’s annual number is steep even if the term is shorter.
There will be other starters out there, and Boston will have options. But Gray has already shown he can thrive here. If his market settles near ESPN’s projection, the Red Sox should have real interest in bringing him back.
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