The Boston Red Sox couldn’t finalize their acquisition of starting pitcher Sonny Gray until talking to… well, Sonny Gray.
Gray wasn’t eligible to be moved unless he waived the no-trade clause in his contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, which he agreed to do after learning which team was interested in obtaining his services.
“The no-trade (clause) is a great barometer for how interested a player is in coming to a specific destination,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said during his media availability Tuesday, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “And so by nature of Sonny’s willingness to waive it to come here, I think that says a lot about his interest.”
Breslow had an opportunity to speak with Gray, who was overwhelmingly excited about joining the club.
“I think he saw from afar what we’re building here. He had a ton of admiration that he expressed for Garrett (Crochet) and how much he believes Garrett can push him and how that (they) can push each other,” Breslow said. “And he was very clear about his desire to win and his excitement about this opportunity. So he’s very excited to come to Boston, and we’re excited to have him… the response was overwhelming excitement.”
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Gray might not fit the billing of a de facto No. 2 starter behind Crochet, but there’s one thing that is for certain — everyone involved in the trade seems excited.
