Sonny Gray, recently traded to the Boston Red Sox from the St. Louis Cardinals, expressed enthusiasm for joining the team and rekindling the rivalry with the New York Yankees. The veteran pitcher, who struggled during his 2017-18 stint with the Yankees, reflected on that challenging period while highlighting his longtime affinity for Boston. Gray aims to contribute to a World Series run with his new club.
Sonny Gray joined the Boston Red Sox rotation via a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals last week, a move he welcomed immediately upon hearing of Boston's interest. Speaking in a video conference with reporters on Tuesday, Gray said Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom informed him of the Red Sox's pursuit, prompting an instant affirmative response in his mind. "[Bloom] said the Red Sox, and I immediately in my head was like, 'Yes,'" Gray recounted. "It was an immediate yes in my head, and I told my agent that."
Gray's history with the Yankees, where he pitched in 2017 and 2018 after being acquired from the Oakland Athletics ahead of the 2017 Trade Deadline, was less positive. He posted a 4.51 ERA over 41 appearances, including 34 starts, before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds. "I never wanted to go there in the first place," Gray admitted bluntly. "New York just wasn't a good situation for me. It wasn't a great setup for me and my family."
Despite the difficulties, Gray credited the experience with personal and professional growth. "I do appreciate my time [in New York]," he said. "I do feel like the last seven years of my career, my life and everything, I've been a better baseball player, husband, everything from having that experience." Post-Yankees, he earned two All-Star selections and finished second in the 2023 American League Cy Young voting with the Minnesota Twins.
Gray's affinity for the Red Sox dates back to his youth, influenced by watching games on TV and the iconic Green Monster. At Vanderbilt University, under coach Tim Corbin from New Hampshire, the team replicated Fenway elements like a Green Monster in left field and played 'Sweet Caroline' after the seventh inning. He also attended Team USA games at Fenway and watched Josh Beckett pitch. Now 36, Gray wore a 2007 World Series champion Red Sox hat during his press conference and described Boston as a big city that feels small and welcoming.
His primary motivation remains winning a World Series, a goal that has eluded him across stints in Oakland, New York, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and St. Louis. "It's pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me ... is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series," Gray stated. He looks forward to evolving with pitching coach Andrew Bailey, saying, "I hope there are changes ... because I think if you're not constantly changing and you're not constantly adapting, I think that you're going to be stagnant."
Regarding the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, Gray embraced the intensity. "What did factor into my decision to come to Boston, it feels good to me to go to a place now where ... it's easy to hate the Yankees, right?" he noted. "It's easy to go out and have that rivalry and go into it with full force, full steam ahead. I like the challenge."