Do the Red Sox Need Sonny Gray, or Could they Cash in at the Deadline?
Sonny Gray has been nothing short of exceptional this season. Should Boston cash in on his success or keep him at the deadline?
Sonny Gray is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career at age 36. The Boston Red Sox ace is rocking a 2.48 ERA, a career best, and a 12-1 record, tied (Chase Burns, Cristopher Sánchez) for the most wins in MLB.
Gray is a key piece of the Red Sox staff and is pivotal to their midseason turnaround. With the trade deadline approaching, Boston now apparently wants to hold onto Gray, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Even with this new mindset heading into the deadline, the idea of moving Gray still lingers and might still be a possibility for a thriving Red Sox squad.
Contract-wise, it can make sense for the front office. Gray’s contract ends at the end of the season, and he has a $10 million mutual option for 2027. With him having one of his best seasons, he might decline it to seek a more lucrative deal, leaving the Red Sox for nothing.
He still has a no-trade clause that Boston would need to work around, but Gray has said in an interview with the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey that he’d be open to a conversation. But does trading a key member of your rotation for a solid return make sense for the Red Sox?
Will the Rotation Need Gray?
Gray entered Boston after having a solid season for the St. Louis Cardinals, going 14-8 with a 3.9 fWAR. The Red Sox expected him to bolster a rotation led by 2025 Cy Young finalist Garrett Crochet and free-agent signing Ranger Suárez.
In the midst of Crochet landing on the IL, Gray has stepped up as a true ace on the staff. He’s even having one of his best seasons to date, exceeding preseason expectations.
After a slow start to the season strikeout-wise, Gray has had recent outings with 11 strikeouts, two with nine, and three with seven. Among starters, he ranks fifth in ERA with 2.48, a career-best so far. Despite his incredible first half, Gray did not earn an All-Star selection.
The Red Sox are fresh off of winning 15 straight, and own the final Wild Card spot in a remarkable turnaround. Gray has been a large part of this turnaround, but so has the rest of the rotation. Considering his contract ends at the end of the season, and the fact that Gray isn’t getting any younger, might make the front office think about moving him.
Suárez has been a great signing, and the reliability of rookies Jake Bennett, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle has been outstanding. Now that Patrick Sandoval has returned from injury, Boston can turn to him for rotational depth. As a whole, the Red Sox starters are eighth in ERA and 11th in strikeouts in MLB.
The front office could go out and grab a back-of-the-rotation arm as well if need be. An opener in front of Bello can make him a serviceable rotation option. Out of the bullpen this year, he has a 0.77 ERA compared to his 10.35 ERA as a starter.
With all of these options, trading Gray can make sense. After Tarik Skubal, Gray is the best starter available on the market. Depending on who misses out on Skubal, teams could be desperate to get Gray, landing a haul for Boston.
Should the Red Sox Trade Gray?
The Red Sox could justify trading Gray, given their strong rotation and Gray’s expiring contract and age. You get a few young prospects and potentially an MLB-ready player, and don’t lose Gray in free agency for nothing.
But Boston’s front office shouldn’t trade one of their best pitchers for prospects that may never develop into impactful players. All season long, Craig Breslow said time and time again that they believe that this team can compete. In May on the Greg Hill Show, Breslow said, “I believed in the offseason, I believed it coming into spring training, and I believe it right now.”
Now that they’re competing and proving to be a potential postseason team, Breslow is finally able to prove his point. Trading Gray would, in a sense, be backing down from those previous statements. Trading one of the top pitchers in MLB could insinuate that you don’t fully believe in the team. That this winning streak is just a flash in the pan.
Gray also provides a veteran and positive presence in the clubhouse. When the Venezuelan players of the Red Sox were outside Fenway Park fundraising after the devastating earthquakes, Gray was there with a Venezuela jersey on. The clubhouse is playing with a renewed sense of life, and Gray is part of that. Trading him will only bring morale down, even when the wins keep coming in.
Gray is proving to be an ace and can be a part of bringing Boston to the postseason. He’ll likely receive Cy Young votes, and should’ve been an All-Star. The Red Sox shouldn’t make this trade solely because of Gray’s contract, and the dream of a prospect haul. Gray will be needed if the Red Sox want to make a playoff push and if they want to advance further into October.
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