When Sonny Gray picked up the phone the Sunday before Thanksgiving and heard St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom mention the Boston Red Sox, he didn’t need time to think it over. For Gray, this was the kind of opportunity he’s been waiting for - a chance to chase a World Series with a team that looks ready to make a serious run.
“It was an immediate yes,” Gray said Tuesday during a video call, already sounding like someone who’s been eyeing Boston for a while.
At this stage in his career, Gray isn’t looking for a rebuild or a back-end rotation role on a middling team. He’s chasing a ring.
And in Boston, he sees the kind of mix that contenders are built on - young, hungry talent, a rising ace in Garrett Crochet, and a market that demands excellence. That’s not pressure to Gray - that’s fuel.
“The young talent, with Garrett there, just the young position players that are there, to the point where they’re hungry and ready to go take off,” he said. “It’s just all in all a great situation, and we have a chance to win a World Series.”
Gray didn’t come to this decision in a vacuum. He’d stayed in touch with Steven Matz, who made the move from St.
Louis to Boston at last year’s trade deadline and had nothing but praise for his time with the Red Sox. Gray also kept tabs on Boston’s stretch run and postseason push, watching a team that looked like it was on the cusp of something bigger.
“I’ve always said I wanted to go to a market that is super competitive, a big market that wants to win,” Gray said. “I know I can thrive in that situation.”
Of course, the last time Gray was in a high-pressure, big-market environment, things didn’t go as planned. His stint with the Yankees seven years ago was rocky - a 4.51 ERA over 41 games - and it left a mark.
But Gray doesn’t shy away from that chapter. In fact, he leaned into it Tuesday, saying he “never wanted to go” to New York in the first place and calling it “easy to hate the Yankees.”
He even showed up to the call wearing a Red Sox 2007 World Series hat he bought right after the trade was finalized.
That’s one way to win over a Boston fanbase.
Gray’s baseball journey has taken him through Oakland, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and St. Louis, but he says the connection to Boston runs deeper than just a new uniform. It goes back to his college days at Vanderbilt, where he played under head coach Tim Corbin - a New Hampshire native - on a field with a replica Green Monster in left and “Sweet Caroline” playing after the seventh inning.
“You gotta look at the Vanderbilt baseball field,” Gray said. “So when I say I am more Boston than any other place, there’s a lot that goes into that.”
There’s also the personal connection - Gray’s college roommate and close friend is Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski. So when he says this feels like a fit, he’s not just checking boxes - he’s talking about a place that’s felt familiar for a long time.
From the Red Sox’s perspective, Gray brings more than just experience. He’s a fierce competitor, a proven starter who can help anchor a rotation that’s still developing. At 36, he’s not just looking to contribute - he wants to lead, and he sees a kindred spirit in Garrett Crochet, the young lefty who’s quickly becoming the face of the Red Sox rotation.
“Having a guy like Garrett at the top of the rotation is something that I couldn’t be happier about,” Gray said. “Someone that I can lean on, someone that I can follow, someone that I can lead, someone that I can learn from, someone that I can teach, someone that can push me, someone that I can push. Those are all important things.”
Gray and Crochet already have a connection - they’ve both trained at Vanderbilt in the offseason and plan to do so again this winter. That kind of offseason continuity could pay dividends once the season gets rolling.
Statistically, Gray still has plenty left in the tank. Last season, he posted a 4.28 ERA with a 3.39 FIP, a 27% strikeout rate, and just a 5% walk rate over 32 starts and 180 2/3 innings.
His 5.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio led the National League, and he hit the 200-strikeout mark for the second straight year. In Boston’s rotation, only Crochet would have surpassed him in strikeouts and innings.
But Gray knows there’s room to refine his game. While his control has improved and the strikeouts are there, he’s given up more damage the past two seasons - including a career-high 25 home runs in 2025 after allowing 21 the year before. For a guy who averaged just 13 homers allowed per season over his first 11 years, that’s a trend he’s looking to reverse.
“If you look at the last couple of years, my ERA inflated a little bit, and that’s directly correlated to damage,” he said. “Maybe a few more walks could be better. A few more walks, a few less hits, a few less homers, a little bit less damage.”
That’s not just self-awareness - that’s a veteran who understands how to adapt. And in Boston, with a front office that leans into analytics, Gray is open to evolving.
“I am who I am, but I definitely think there’s room for improvement,” he said.
As the Red Sox look to take the next step - from playoff hopeful to legitimate contender - adding a pitcher like Gray could be a key piece of the puzzle. He brings leadership, durability, and a mindset built for October.
“I’m looking forward to the year,” he said. “I really am.”
So are the Red Sox. And if Gray delivers the way he believes he can, Boston just might have found the missing piece to a deep postseason run.