Sonny Gray’s first season in Boston has gone about as well as the Red Sox could have hoped. It may also be the last chapter.
Gray said he has not decided whether he will pitch in 2027, and he made it clear that his family will have the biggest say in what comes next. Speaking to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, he put it bluntly: “If my family wants me to hang it up, I’ll be done in a heartbeat,” Gray said.
He didn’t rule out the possibility that Boston’s current playoff chase could end up being the finish line for his career, either. “We’ll see what the future holds for me, but if this is it, no better way to go out and try to do something special here the next couple months,” Gray said.
That leaves the Red Sox in the middle of a postseason push with an added layer of significance. Boston is trying to win its first World Series championship since 2018, and Gray has been at the center of the effort.
The 36-year-old has been Boston’s steadiest starter all season, and the numbers back it up. Through 26 starts, Gray is 17-4 with a 2.69 ERA, along with 135 strikeouts over 150 2/3 innings and a 1.16 WHIP. He leads the Red Sox in wins, ERA and innings pitched.
He was sharp again in his latest outing, blanking the Baltimore Orioles across seven innings while allowing three hits and three walks and striking out seven in Boston’s 5-0 win. That victory gave him the major league lead with 17 wins.
Gray gets his next chance Friday night at Fenway Park, where he’ll face Seth Lugo and the Kansas City Royals as he looks for win No. 18.
The timing of his comments matters because Gray could be lined up as Boston’s Game 1 starter if the Red Sox reach the postseason. Boston entered Thursday at 80-67 and holding the American League’s second wild-card spot, with 15 regular-season games left before a potential Wild Card Series.
Boston acquired Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals in November, sending pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to St.
Louis. At the time, the Red Sox knew they were getting a pitcher with a strong track record - three All-Star selections and two top-three finishes in Cy Young Award voting - but they also knew he was coming off a 2025 season in which he posted a 4.28 ERA.
Instead, Gray has cut that ERA by nearly two runs in his first year with the club.
His contract adds another wrinkle. Gray has a $30 million option for 2027 and a $10 million buyout, and he also has the ability to opt out if the Red Sox exercise the option. That gives him real control over whether he stays in Boston beyond this season.
Earlier this summer, Gray reportedly had interest in staying with the Red Sox past 2026. His latest remarks suggest the decision will be shaped by more than money or even the chance to keep pitching.
Gray has now thrown more than 2,000 major league innings since debuting with the Athletics in 2013, and his career has taken him through Oakland, the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Cardinals and Red Sox.
After 14 seasons, family is now part of the conversation in a bigger way. Gray isn’t announcing an ending, but he isn’t pretending another year is a lock, either. For now, his focus stays on helping Boston keep moving toward October.
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For a team that has leaned on his production all season, the timing could hardly be better. Among qualified Red Sox hitters, Contreras leads the club in OPS, home runs and RBIs, which is why his absence has been felt even as Boston has tried to keep pace without him. His return still needs to clear the final rehab step, but the possibility of getting that kind of middle-of-the-order presence back in the coming days gives the lineup a jolt of anticipation it has been missing for a while. [Read more 🡒]
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Red Sox Roster Squeeze Has Put One Fan Favorite In Danger
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With All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras expected back soon, utility infielder Andruw Monasterio has seen his playing time drop sharply, and his recent performance has slipped as well. For a player who had earned some early-season goodwill, that puts him in a vulnerable spot, and the front office may soon have to decide whether the roster can still carry him once Contreras is activated. [Read more 🡒]