Sep 11, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray (55) pitches in the third inning against Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Red Sox's Sonny Gray Had Interesting Yankees Problem

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Michael Rosenstein | Last updated Nov 28, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Former New York Yankees starter Sonny Gray is back in the American League East, and that has some drudging up memories from his last tour of duty in the division.

The Boston Red Sox acquired Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals in a pre-Thanksgiving trade.

Gray has pitched for five MLB clubs: the A's, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees.

Of the five, his least successful time came in the Bronx, where posted a 4.51 ERA. That's significantly higher than in any of the small-market stops during his 13-year MLB career.

Under Pressure

His struggles in New York have some wondering if he can withstand the pressure that comes with playing in another big-market city like Boston following this week's trade.

But former Yankees teammate and catcher Erik Kratz isn't one of those people.

“Everyone was real quick to play the narrative of, ‘Oh, big market, the pressure got to him,’” Kratz said on "Foul Territory," according to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey. “But I was there watching him. It wasn’t the pressure of the market.”

Blame Game

Instead, Kratz laid the blame for Gray's failures on pitching coach Larry Rothschild and a "contradiction of pitch usage." Kratz said Rothschild wanted Gray to use his slider more, while the right-hander wanted to feature more of his curveball.

The Yankees sent Gray to the Reds ahead of the 2019 season. Since then, he posted two of his three All-Star seasons and had a pair of top-10 finishes in Cy Young voting.

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

He even got some National League MVP votes in 2023, when he went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA in Minnesota.

While not flashy, Gray is extremely reliable. He's made at least 27 starts in each season going back to 2017 (the 2020 COVID season not withstanding).

The 36-year-old has struck out least 200 batters in each of the last two seasons and has thrown at least 180 innings in two of the last three years.

That's a far cry from his days in the Bronx. The Yankees acquired Gray in a deal with the A's ahead of the 2017 trade deadline.

After the trade, he went 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 regular-season starts for the Yankees and made another pair of starts during the 2017 postseason.

But the wheels came off in 2018, with Gray going 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA, leading the Yankees to banish him in the bullpen before eventually parting ways after the season.

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