MLB Rumors: Insider Names 2 Teams Who Could Pull Off Sonny Gray Trade This Summer
The Boston Red Sox are shaping up to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline, with the likes of Aroldis Chapman and Sonny Gray coveted by multiple teams. While no deal is imminent, we might have some idea of two clubs to keep an eye on for Gray.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote that he expects Boston will pay Gray his $10 million mutual option to help facilitate a trade and move the All-Star pitcher to a club of his choosing. He also specifically mentioned the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox as two potential clubs who Gray might want to play for.
Read More: MLB Trades We’d Love to See This Month, including Sonny Gray
- Sonny Gray contract (Spotrac): $11 million salary in 2026, $30 million mutual option for 2027
Gray, age 36, is a three-time All-Star selection. The $10 million would cover the increased buyout on the final year of his contract, which is first a club option. If an acquiring team decided to exercise the $30 million option for 2027, Gray would then have the choice of opting into the contract or declining it and foregoing the buyout to enter MLB free agency.
He’s pitched fairly well this season in Boston. Across 15 starts, covering 83.2 innings, he sports a 2.69 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and a 16.1 percent K-BB rate, per FanGraphs. Gray has held opponents to a .230 batting average this year with a 22.3 percent strikeout rate and has earned a quality start in 10-of-15 appearances this year.
The veteran hurler has been particularly sharp as of late. Across his last 11 starts, stretching from May 20 to June 28, he’s posted a 2.13 ERA with a 25.7 percent strikeout rate and a .217 batting average allowed. He is 7-0 during that span, with the Red Sox posting a 9-2 record in Gray’s last 11 games.
Gray certainly makes sense as a trade target for both Atlanta and Chicago. Entering play on July 4, the White Sox were tied for 24th in quality starts (22) from their starting pitchers this season. While the Braves are much better, tied for 11th (31 quality starts), their rotation has a 5.36 ERA (24th in MLB) since June 1, per FanGraphs.
Clubs like the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays have also been mentioned as potential trade partners for Boston that may have interest in acquiring Gray. With the Red Sox still just 5.5 games out from the final wild card spot in the American League, however, a deal isn’t expected until much closer to the 2026 MLB trade deadline on August 3.
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