Sonny Gray has given the Red Sox a real reason to think beyond this season, but Boston has to be careful about how far it goes.
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam, Gray has interest in signing an extension with the Red Sox. The 36-year-old also has a $30 million mutual option for next season, and there’s a straightforward case for both sides to want something more secure: Boston keeps a big piece of its pitching staff intact, and Gray gets contract stability.
What makes this such a tempting conversation is the way Gray is pitching right now. In his 14th major-league season, he’s putting together one of the strongest runs of his career.
He leads the AL with a 12-2 record, owns the best winning percentage in the league at 87.5%, and his 2.78 ERA is the third-best mark of his career. Since his first season included only 12 appearances and 10 starts, that number probably deserves to be viewed as his second-best ERA.
Gray has been that good for Boston. He’s arguably been the club’s best pitcher this year, which says plenty about how well the rotation has performed. He should also be a major factor in the team’s playoff push, even if the All-Star case never broke his way.
The Red Sox should want him back. If Gray is open to an extension, Boston ought to listen.
But there’s a limit here.
Any new deal should be short-term. Gray has been excellent in his first season with the Red Sox, and there’s every reason to believe he can still help beyond this year.
At the same time, Boston’s pitching group is loaded with arms that are much younger than Gray, including Garrett Crochet, 27; Ranger Suarez, 30; Payton Tolle, 23; and Jake Bennett, 25. The organization also has two intriguing prospects in Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, both 21.
Gray is a three-time All-Star, though the source notes he should be a four-time All-Star, and he looks capable of staying productive for another year or two. That makes him a valuable piece.
It does not make him a long-term one. The Red Sox can justify keeping him around, but if this turns into a three-year-or-longer extension, there’s real risk of regret down the line.
For now, though, Gray is giving Boston exactly what it needs. With about two months left in the season, the Red Sox are positioned for October baseball, and Gray is a big reason why.
A month ago, that would have sounded like a stretch. Now it looks very real.
In Other News...
Red Sox Linked To Major Shortstop Upgrade With A Tough Catch
The Red Sox already made one move to add Curtis Mead, but the search for a true shortstop upgrade could still be the bigger storyline as the roster takes shape. ESPN analyst David Schoenfield floated a trade concept that would send Boston into the mix for a proven answer in the middle infield, a reminder that the clubs infield plans may not be finished even after the latest addition.
The catch is the price. Schoenfields idea would require Boston to part with a significant prospect haul, and the player at the center of the proposal is not a short-term rental. He has been productive this season and remains under control through 2027, which is exactly why the asking cost would be steep and why this remains only a speculative framework rather than a confirmed deal. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Just Hit A Trade Deadline Crossroads With Zach Neto
After sending Connelly Early to Washington for Curtis Mead, the Red Sox have already shown they are willing to keep moving pieces before the trade deadline. The next question is whether they are ready to go after a bigger offensive upgrade, and Los Angeles Angels slugger Zach Neto has emerged as a name that fits what Boston is looking for. His right-handed bat would make sense in Fenway Park, and the Red Sox can see the appeal of adding a player whose profile could play well in their lineup.
The problem is the price tag. Bostons interest in Neto comes with real tension because the kind of package that could get a deal done may force the club to decide how far it wants to go with its prospect capital. The Red Sox are also weighing other ways to structure a pursuit, including different combinations of young talent, while trying to avoid emptying the farm system for a single move. For a front office trying to balance urgency with long-term depth, Neto has become the kind of deadline target that can expose just how aggressive Boston is willing to be. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans Are Loving How This Old Trade Looks Now
Before the 2022 trade deadline, Boston made a practical call on Christian Vzquez, moving the veteran catcher to Houston rather than letting an expiring-contract starter walk for nothing. In return, the Red Sox landed Wilyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez, a deal that looked like a standard deadline swap at the time but has taken on a much different feel as the years have passed.
Abreu has grown into a dependable part of Bostons lineup, and the way the trade has aged has only sharpened the sense that the Red Sox came out ahead. There is still some room for the usual what-if debate about how his development might have looked elsewhere, but from Bostons side, this is the kind of move front offices hope to make and fans love to revisit. [Read more 🡒]