A familiar face for Yankee fans is reportedly heading back to the AL East.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Red Sox have acquired former Yankee Sonny Gray in a trade with the Cardinals. The righty had to waive his no-trade clause to make the deal possible.
Gray, a three-time All-Star, had reportedly told St. Louis that he wanted to pitch for a team ready to contend, and now joins a Boston staff - anchored by bonafide ace Garrett Crochet - that helped the Red Sox reach the postseason in 2025 before falling in the Wild Card Series to the Yanks.
Gray just turned 36 this month and has been on the decline since his All-Star campaign with the Twins in 2023. After posting a 2.79 ERA with Minnesota to finish second behind Gerrit Cole in the Cy Young voting, Gray pitched to a 3.84 ERA in his first year with the Cardinals, and last year, saw that number rise to 4.28 in 180.2 innings of work.
Gray still averages double-digit strikeouts per nine innings, but his FIP, hits per nine innings, and home runs per nine innings have all trended in the wrong direction each of the past two years.
Seen as the big catch of the trade deadline for the Yankees in 2017, Gray flopped in pinstripes, pitching to a 4.90 ERA in 2018 before being dealt to the Reds, where he returned to All-Star form and criticized how the Yankees tried to change his pitch usage during his time in the Bronx.