Red Sox's Sonny Gray Trash Talks Yankees

The Boston Red Sox acquired former New York Yankees right-hander Sonny Gray in a pre-Thanksgiving trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Aug 25, 2018; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Sonny Gray (55) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

It. Is. On. So says Sonny Gray about the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees blood rivalry.

Gray met the Boston media for the first time since his pre-Thanksgiving arrival in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The move brings Gray back to the American League East for the first time since his two-year stint in the Bronx. And the three-time All-Star is jumping back into the rivalry with his eyes wide open.

"Easy To Hate"

"It feels good to me to go to a place where it’s easy to hate the Yankees," he said, according to the Boston Globe's Tim Healey.

Gray has pitched for five MLB clubs: the Yankees, A's, Cardinals, Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds.

Of the five, his least successful time came in pinstripes, in which he posted a 4.51 ERA. That's significantly higher than in any of the small-market stops during his 13-year MLB career.

"Never Wanted To Go"

Regarding his poor experience with the Yankees, Healey reports Gray said he "never wanted to go (to New York) in the first place."

The Yankees acquired Gray in a deal with the A's ahead of the 2017 trade deadline.

After the trade, he went 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 regular-season starts for the Yankees and made another pair of starts during the 2017 postseason.

But the wheels came off in 2018, with Gray going 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA, leading the Yankees to banish him in the bullpen before eventually parting ways after the season.

Under Pressure

His struggles in New York have some wondering if he can withstand the pressure that comes with playing in another big-market city like Boston following last week's trade.

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

But former Yankees teammate and catcher Erik Kratz isn't one of those people.

“Everyone was real quick to play the narrative of, ‘Oh, big market, the pressure got to him,’” Kratz said on "Foul Territory," according to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey. “But I was there watching him. It wasn’t the pressure of the market.”

Instead, Kratz laid the blame for Gray's failures on pitching coach Larry Rothschild and a "contradiction of pitch usage." Kratz said Rothschild wanted Gray to use his slider more, while the right-hander wanted to feature more of his curveball.

The Yankees sent Gray to the Reds ahead of the 2019 season

Bronx Tale

However Healey reports Gray said he appreciated his time with the Yankees: "I've been a better baseball player, husband, everything from having that experience and going through that."

While not flashy, Gray is extremely reliable. He's made at least 27 starts in each season going back to 2017 (the 2020 COVID season not withstanding).

The 36-year-old has struck out least 200 batters in each of the last two seasons and has thrown at least 180 innings in two of the last three years.

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