There’s a real chance Sonny Gray doesn’t stay in Boston, and if he walks, the Red Sox could end up watching him strengthen a division rival.
Gray was outstanding in 2026 during his lone season with the Red Sox, but he’s now on the free-agent market, and Boston’s pitching depth means the club doesn’t necessarily have to chase a major addition of its own. Most of the chatter around Gray has pointed toward him leaving, with the Atlanta Braves coming up repeatedly as a possible destination. That wouldn’t sting Boston nearly as much, at least in terms of the regular season, since Atlanta plays in the National League.
The more troubling possibility for the Red Sox is Toronto. The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon pointed to the Blue Jays as a team that could be in the mix for Gray, and that would be a much tougher pill to swallow for Boston.
"The Jays’ main priority remains offence, but any starting-pitching addition is expected to be more than just a back-of-the-rotation innings eater," Bannon wrote. "...
If they don’t land [Tarik Skubal], Freddy Peralta seems like a classic Jays rotation addition. He has a deceptive fastball and doesn’t miss starts, and his stuff plays up in domed stadiums.
The Jays, for all those reasons, are interested to some degree, but it doesn’t sound like he’s as high on their priority list as others. That mainly leaves Trevor Rogers and Sonny Gray."
Gray made a strong impression in Boston and quickly became a favorite with the fan base, so losing him at all would hurt. Losing him to Toronto would be worse. The Blue Jays finished 79-83 in 2026, largely because injuries wrecked their rotation, but they were also one of the last teams standing in 2025, coming just a few outs short of beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series before blowing it.
If Toronto adds Gray, the Red Sox would be forced to face him regularly, and the Blue Jays would instantly become a bigger threat in the AL East. For Boston fans, that’s the version of this story worth rooting hard against.
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