Thanks to a no-trade clause in his contract, Sonny Gray didn’t have to approve the deal that sent him to the Red Sox last week.
But when he found out the proposed team in the deal, he didn’t hesitate to waive it. In fact, toward the end of the season, Gray informed the Cardinals that a chance of scenery would be best.
“I just expressed that it would probably be beneficial for me and my family to maybe go to a different situation, a different organization that was maybe going a little bit more all-in for the next year or two in trying to win a World Series,” said Gray in a Zoom call with reporters. “That’s kind of where I’m at in my career and my life.
“I definitely haven’t’ accomplished everything in the game that I want to and a deep run in the postseason and winning a World Series is definitely one of those things.”
A few days before Thanksgiving, Cardinals president of baseball operation Chaim Bloom notified Gray that a proposed trade was nearly completed.
“He told me the team and he said, ‘Red Sox,’ and immediately in my head was like, ‘Yes!’ ” recounted Gray. “I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to play for the Red Sox. I’m looking forward to the year. I really, really am.”
Gray said he spoke with former St. Louis teammate Steven Matz, acquired by the Red Sox at the deadline last July, and heard nothing but good things about the experience.
“I kind of followed along last year and the situation Boston was in,” said Gray. “I really felt like it would be a really good situation. I always said I wanted to go to a market that was super competitive, a big market that wants to win. I know I can thrive in that situation. Boston just checked all the boxes for me.”
Since being notified of the trade, Gray has had discussions with manager Alex Cora and pitching coach Andrew Bailey and heard from a number of new teammates. Living in the Nashville area, he’s already friends with Garrett Crochet and plans to join him in some offseason workouts after the first of the year.
He’s excited, too, about the presence of some top young players, whom he described as “hungry, ready to take off. It’s just a great situations. We have a chance to win a World Series, we have a chance to make a deep playoff run and I just want to be a part of it.”
Being teammates with Crochet, who finished second in balloting for the AL Cy Young award last month, should be beneficial.
“That’s something that I couldn’t be happier about,” said Gray. “(He’s) someone I can lean on, someone I can follow, someone that I can teach, someone I can learn from, someone who can push me, someone that I can push. Those are all important things for me.
“I looking forward to building a better relationship than we already have. That’s already started but it will continue when we pick up the baseball together and get to talk pitching, talk family and learn a little bit more about each other. That will happen soon.”
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