To the baseball world, Sonny Gray’s trade from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox may have seemed like it came out of nowhere.

But to the veteran right-hander who has worn Athletics, Yankees, Reds, Twins, and Cardinals uniforms in his 13-year major league career, it felt almost fated, which is why he waived his no-trade clause and gave an “immediate yes.”

Gray still has much he wants to accomplish on the mound. A ball club considered to be on the cusp of returning to elite, contending form is an appealing landing spot for such a player.

After the Cardinals’ elimination from playoff contention in late September ‘24, he and Chaim Bloom, now St. Louis’ president of baseball operations, had a “very transparent” discussion about the club’s direction: full rebuild mode. Gray, who turned 36 on Nov. 7 and had a contract through ‘26 with a ‘27 club option, did not feel he could play the waiting game.

“I just expressed that, you know, I think it would probably be beneficial for me and my family and my future to maybe go to a different situation, a different organization that may be going a little bit more all-in for the next year or two and trying to win a World Series,” Gray said in his first videoconference with Boston media. “That’s kind of just where I’m at in my career and in my life… making a deep run in the postseason and winning a World Series is definitely one of those things that I haven’t been able to accomplish.”

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, Bloom called Gray and told him they had a deal “almost to the finish line,” if he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause.

“He said the Red Sox, and I immediately in my head was like, yes,” Gray said.

Gray sees Boston as the kind of atmosphere in which he wants to pitch, and he sees the Red Sox as a ball club that can go the distance.

“Boston just checked all the boxes for me,” he said. “That is a situation that I feel comfortable in. And that’s important to me.”

Gray listed Boston’s ace lefty, Garrett Crochet, as one of the draws to joining the team. The position-player core, which he described as “young, hungry, but also ready to take off,” was another.

“All in all,” he said. “It’s just a great situation, and we have a chance to win a World Series, and we have a chance to make a deep playoff run, and I just want to be a part of it.”

But for Gray, becoming a Red Sox goes deeper and further back than all of that.

It was evident the moment he logged onto the videoconference with a 2007 World Series cap on his head.

“I bought this hat as soon as I got traded over to Boston… I went shopping right away, got shirts, we got hats, we got everything,” he said. “I’m more of a Boston guy than anything.”

A surprising declaration for a Nashville native, perhaps, but Gray’s Red Sox connections run deep.

“It started early,” Gray said, recalling how he would watch the Red Sox on television as a little boy. “It’s not just coming out of my mouth just because, ‘Oh you’re with the Red Sox now.”

The Green Monster was always “a special thing,” to Gray, even before his three years of college ball at Vanderbilt University, where the Commodores’ Hawkins Field has a replica Green Monster and the decorated head coach is Tim Corbin, a New Hampshire native and lifelong Red Sox fan.

“We played ‘Sweet Caroline’ after the seventh inning, my whole career at Vanderbilt,” Gray recalled. “(Corbin’s) been Red Sox through and through.”

Corbin grew up idolizing Carl Yastrzemski, then coached his grandson, Mike Yastrzemski. The Red Sox drafted Captain Carl’s grandson out of high school in 2009, but he opted to become one of Corbin’s Commodores, instead.

And Gray’s roommate.

“Mike Yastrzemski’s one of my best friends,” he said, “and still are very close. Went on a trip together two weeks ago.”

“So when I say like, I am more Boston than any other place, there’s a lot that goes into that.”