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Not everyone wants to wake up in the city that never sleeps.
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Veteran starter Sonny Gray has returned to the American League East as a member of the Boston Red Sox, acquired last week in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Introduced to the Boston media Tuesday morning, the former Yankees right-hander reflected on his turbulent tenure in The Bronx and emphasized his excitement to be on the other side of the most historic rivalry in sports.
“It feels good to me to go to a place where it’s easy to hate the Yankees,” Gray said.
The Yankees acquired Gray, now 36, from the Athletics less than an hour before the trade deadline in 2017.
“I never wanted to go there in the first place,” Gray, who waived his no-trade clause to join the Red Sox, said Tuesday.
Eight-plus years ago, he was singing a different tune.
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“Expectations are always high at a place like this and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Gray said the day after he was dealt to The Bronx. “I’m ready. I couldn’t be happier with how it all played out.”
Former New York Yankees pitcher Sonny Gray has rejoined the American League East after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox last week. AP
The former All-Star was gone after the following season, shipped to the Cincinnati Reds after posting a brutal 4.51 ERA across 34 total starts in Pinstripes.
He signed a three-year extension with the Reds and swiftly regained his ace-level form in Cincinnati, delivering a dominant 2019 campaign that saw him finish seventh in Cy Young Award voting.
Gray spent two seasons with the Twins before landing with the Cardinals, and he capped his second year with St. Louis by holding a 4.28 ERA with 201 strikeouts across 32 starts.
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He admitted Tuesday that he still has a certain appreciation for his time with the Yankees, despite the disappointing experience.
“I’ve been a better baseball player, husband, everything from having that experience and going through that,” he said.
Gray isn’t the first former Yankee to vocalize his distaste for the franchise after joining their greatest rival.
Just a couple of months ago, flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman — who spent parts of seven seasons in The Bronx from 2016-22 — asserted that he would rather hang up his cleats than return to the club.
“No way, not even dead,” Chapman said on a podcast, as translated from Spanish. “If I were told that I was being traded to New York, I’d pack my things and go home. I’ll retire right on the spot if that happens. I’m not crazy. Never again.”
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The Yankees and Red Sox added another thrilling chapter to their storied rivalry during the 2025 postseason, when the Bombers eliminated Boston in Game 3 behind a dazzling performance from Massachusetts-born rookie starter Cam Schlittler — who added fuel to the fire by trolling opposing fans in the following weeks.
It seems as though the tension has continued to escalate in the early stages of the offseason.