Sonny Gray Rumors Begin as AL Contender Wants Red Sox Star

The Boston Red Sox are starting to get very interesting.

Last week, Boston won five games in a row, including a four-game sweep over the New York Yankees, which started to at least shift the public perception of the club from seemingly looking like a clear-cut seller, to maybe being able to get back in the American League playoff race and avoid a sell-off.

Then, the Red Sox lost two straight games against the Washington Nationals, which quieted the noise on that front a bit. But, now the Red Sox have won two straight games and will look for a series sweep over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night. Right now, Boston is nine games under .500 at 39-48. The Red Sox are 7-3 over their last 10 games and are just five games out of a playoff spot. Boston is starting to look like a team that is going to make the Wild Card race interesting and it certainly isn't clear what the club's priorities will be at the deadline.

The Red Sox Are Fortunate To Have Sonny Gray

Jun 28, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Red Sox chief executive officer and president Sam Kennedy left the door open for Boston not to sell if it keeps winning. The Red Sox are giving the fanbase much-needed hope right now with under one month to go until the trade deadline. If Boston ends up adding, the obvious move would be a right-handed hitter, and preferably one who could play in the infield. If the Red Sox subtract, Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman will be the prizes. When it comes to Gray specifically, he was lights-out on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels and tossed six innings and allowed just one earned run while lowering his season ERA down to 2.61. He improved his record on the season to 10-1 as well. Gray can help Boston turn its season around. Or, if the Red Sox sell, he will bring back a haul from a contender. The buzz around baseball is growing with the deadline approaching, including USA Today's Bob Nightengale reporting on Sunday that the Houston Astros will be in the Gray market, if he's available.

"The Houston Astros, badly needing an outfielder, are showing strong interest in Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy of the Colorado Rockies. They also plan to be in the Tarik Skubal and Sonny Gray sweepstakes," Nightengale wrote.

The Astros have one of the better offenses in baseball, but some of the worst pitching in the league. The Astros are currently ranked 26th in baseball in overall team ERA at 4.78.

It's been a weird year in the American League. The Astros are being talked about as a clear buyer, but they aren't even over .500 right now. The Astros are 44-47 on the season right now and are in third place in the American League West. Despite that, the Astros are just two games out of a playoff spot right now. For Houston, it does make sense to add because the American League is so bad. But that's also a reason why Boston shouldn't give up hope yet either. There was a time before the five-game winning streak in which Boston was 14 games under .500. Now, that number has dropped down to nine with a soft schedule before the All-Star break.

The Astros may want Gray, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Boston should trade him.

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