Sonny Gray Interested in Contract Extension with Red Sox

With a $30 million mutual option set for 2027, the 14-year veteran could hit free agency with a chance to earn a new short-term deal on the open market. But if the Red Sox are pleased enough with Gray's performance and role with the team, they could eliminate this possibility by locking him up for another year or two.

There is precedent for this kind of move, as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow chose to get ahead of veteran closer Aroldis Chapman's pending free agency by signing him to a one-year extension last September, which guaranteed him $13.3 million with the Red Sox in 2026 and included a mutual vesting option for 2027.

Much like Chapman, Gray was one of Breslow's finest pickups and has been fantastic in his first season with the team. Following the club's shocking turnaround in July, manager Chad Tracy revealed that he, alongside fellow offseason acquisition Willson Contreras, took a moment to address the team about how they have to approach the rest of the season.

Gray explained that his message was acknowledge how special the run was, but to "remember that that’s who we are. Believe that that’s who we are.”

His impact was not lost on the clubhouse, as Friday night's hero Romy Gonzalez spoke about how they have molded their identity around "watching the veteran guys, watching guys like Sonny and Willson... how they compete no matter what the standings say and how they go about their business."

"You have guys that point you in that direction, and guys like Sonny and Willson have been huge," he said.

The current outlook is a far cry from what he had said back on June 18, when his assessment of the 29-43 club was that they were "just not a good team right now."

At that point, Gray had been open to waiving his no-trade clause if Boston decided to shop him around at the deadline. Luckily, and in large part due to his performance on the mound, this will not be necessary.

Across 14 big league seasons, Gray has amassed over 2,000 innings and over 2,000 strikeouts. He has bounced around but maintained a 3.54 career ERA in his time with six different clubs.

After trading 24-year-old left-hander Connelly Early, the Red Sox don't have the kind of starting pitching depth to take a player like Gray for granted, both in his ability to pitch and to mentor younger players. If each side can see another good year in Boston, it would make sense for the front office to consider getting an extension drawn up.