Blue Jays-Sonny Gray Report Would Be Major Blow for Red Sox

The former Boston Red Sox ace is out there for the taking.

Aug 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's a very real chance that the Boston Red Sox will end up losing Sonny Gray this offseason in free agency.

Gray was incredible in 2026 in his lone season with Boston, but he's out there for the taking right now in free agency and the Red Sox are loaded in the pitching department and don't necessarily need to make a splash. The vast majority of the buzz out there around Gray this offseason has centered on him likely leaving and the Atlanta Braves have popped up as an option on multiple occasions. If the Red Sox were to lose Gray to the Braves, arguably it wouldn't hurt Boston much. The Braves are in the National League and don't pose much of a threat to the Red Sox, at least from the regular season standpoint.

While this is the case, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon mentioned a team that would actually be a threat and arguably among the worst-case scenarios for Boston: the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bad News For Boston

Sep 23, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The Jays’ main priority remains offence, but any starting-pitching addition is expected to be more than just a back-of-rotation innings eater," Bannon wrote. "... If they don’t land [Tarik Skubal], Freddy Peralta seems like a classic Jays rotation addition. He has a deceptive fastball and doesn’t miss starts, and his stuff plays up in domed stadiums. The Jays, for all those reasons, are interested to some degree, but it doesn’t sound like he’s as high on their priority list as others. That mainly leaves Trevor Rogers and Sonny Gray."

Gray was excellent for Boston and became a fan favorite among the fanbase. It's going to be tough for the fanbase to see him go anywhere. But if he were to land in the division and help solve one of the biggest needs for one of Boston's biggest rivals, that would be devastating. In 2026, the Blue Jays went 79-83 in large part because their rotation was in tatters all season because of injuries. In 2025, the Blue Jays almost took down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. They were just a few outs away, but blew it.

If the Blue Jays were to have Gray in the rotation, the Red Sox would have to consistently see him and then Toronto immediately would be a bigger threat in the AL East than it already is. So, if you're a Red Sox fan, you should absolutely root against this idea.