When the 2026 Major League Baseball season began, Sonny Gray was comfortably slotted in as the Boston Red Sox’s No. 2 starter, just behind Garrett Crochet.
There were some in the fanbase who wondered whether Gray could still be the No. 2 starter for a club with playoff aspirations after coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals in an offseason trade. The righty delivered more than anyone could’ve asked for. Crochet got hurt early on and Gray stepped up. He was the ace of the Red Sox’s staff all season and finished the campaign with a 2.72 ERA in 29 starts and led the league with 18 wins. Arguably, it was the best overall season of his career, despite being his 14th season.
Now, his future is up in the air. Initially, it wasn’t clear if he’d pitch in 2027. But he confirmed to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier that he will. But will he be in Boston? That’s the question.
“Sonny Gray and his family didn’t need long to decide his baseball future,” Speier wrote. “The 36-year-old intends to pitch again in 2027 and is open to returning to the Red Sox as a free agent. ‘My family and I have talked about it and it’s an easy decision,’ Gray said in a brief text. ‘I still want to win a World Series, whether that is [with] Boston or with whoever wants me.'”
So, now we know Gray is going to be pitching. The money is the next big talking point. Gray has a $30 million mutual option for the 2027 season that is sure to be turned down by either him, or Boston. If Gray turns it down, he likely could get more in a multi-year deal. If Boston turns it down, then it’s not paying $30 million for a starter. But it would have money attached to Gray, still. There is a $10 million buyout in the mutual option. If the Red Sox pick up the option and Gray declines it, then he would forfeit the buyout. But if the Red Sox turn down their end of the deal, Gray is guaranteed $10 million.
If the mutual option comes off the board, Gray will enter free agency and likely will cash in. Back in September, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported that “some in the industry” expect Gray to match, or exceed, the three-year, $75 million deal that Nathan Eovaldi got from the Texas Rangers.
In 2026, the Red Sox came in with a tax payroll right around $271 million, this was right above the second CBT threshold of $264 million, but below the third one at $284 million. With Gray on the books with his mutual option, the Red Sox would blow past the third threshold, especially when taking into account raises for arbitration-eligible players.
When it comes to Gray, it would be awesome to have him back. He thrived in Boston and would help balance a lefty-heavy rotation. But for the Red Sox to actually get a deal done, they likely would need to get creative with some of the contracts on the books already and free up some cash.
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