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Gray gets a $10 million buyout for declining the option, so this was always the way it was going to go down. The Red Sox figure to have considerable interest in bringing him back, but he’ll be very popular around the league.

There had been some rumblings that the 37-year-old hurler was mulling retirement but ultimately, it became a relatively easy decision. Gray noted, “My family and I have talked about it and it’s an easy decision... I still want to win a World Series, whether that is [with] Boston or with whoever wants me.” He’s expected to decline his side of his $30 million mutual option with the Red Sox and should be very highly sought after in free agency this winter.

Gray seems to have plenty left in the tank as he approaches his 37th birthday in November, but it’s not the first time he’s hinted that he doesn’t see himself going the Justin Verlander route. He was also especially frustrated with the way his final start ended, suggesting that manager Chad Tracy should have trusted him to get more outs instead of pulling him in the fifth. “I don’t know what the future holds for me,” Gray said. “I do know that I walked off that mound with my chest back and my chin up, and I can definitely be proud that I left it all out there until the ball was taken out of my hands.” Gray will be eligible for free agency this winter, likely by opting out of his contract after the Red Sox pick up their portion of a $30 million option.

Gray kept his former team off the scoreboard until the fourth inning when Luis García Jr. tagged him for a classic Yankee Stadium solo homer into the right-field seats. He was pulled with two outs in the fifth at just 70 pitches with Red Sox manager Chad Tracy turning to Erik Miller to face Cody Bellinger with a pair of runners on-base. The move wound up backfiring for the second consecutive game in the series as Miller immediately surrendered an RBI single to extend New York’s lead. The 36-year-old impending free agent heads to the open market after compiling a 2.72 ERA and 149/46 K/BB ratio across 169 innings during his lone season with the Red Sox.

Playoff ready, Gray was in the proverbial rocking chair during this start. It was the ninth time in his last 10 starts completing at least six innings and the Guardians barely threatened against him. An excellent finale to a stellar regular season, Gray finishes with a 2.72 ERA, 149 strikeouts, and 46 walks across 169 innings. The next time he’ll take the mound will be in the Bronx against the Yankees in the Wild Card round.

Gray struck out six batters in the contest while issuing three free passes. He served up a solo homer to Josh Jung in the opening inning, then allowed the Rangers to scratch out a pair of runs in the second inning. He kept them off the board the rest of the way though, affording his club the opportunity to come back. Gray generated 16 swings and misses on 102 offerings in the game — six on his sweeper — while posting a CSW of 25 percent. He’ll head into his final start of the regular season against the Guardians on Wednesday with a 17-5 record, 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 146/45 K/BB ratio over 163 innings on the season.

Gray allowed a leadoff double to Carter Jensen to start the game, with Jensen coming around to score on a two-out RBI single by Salvador Perez two batters later. Gray would get out of the inning and pitch a scoreless second inning, but gave up two more runs in the third inning on an RBI double by Carter Jensen and an RBI single by Vinnie Pasquantino later in the inning. Gray wouldn’t allow another run the rest of the night, but the damage had been done, and the Red Sox couldn’t muster enough run support to pick up the much-needed win. Gray will hope for better results in his next start, which is scheduled for Thursday on the road against the Rangers.

The nine days’ rest did Gray well on Saturday as he dominated the Orioles over seven shutout innings on his way to a win. He scattered just three hits and issued three walks while collecting seven strikeouts. The 36-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 2.69 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 135/40 K/BB ratio across 150 2/3 innings. He’s currently lined up for a start against the Royals in Boston on Friday.

Gray’s velocity was down slightly last Wednesday against the Marlins, and while the Red Sox aren’t committing to a specific injury here, they’re giving him several extra days between starts. The Red Sox figure to call up someone to replace him Tuesday when rosters expand, though they’re lacking options.

The swings-and-misses were certainly there for Gray in this start. He forced 15 whiffs in total with at least one coming against all six of his pitches, multiple with four, and six total off his sweeper. On the other hand, his cutter was hit incredibly hard – three of the four put in play off it were hard-hit – and he had to scrap that pitch after a few innings. That forced him to chase those whiffs more, led to a bit of inefficiency, and was partially why he only lasted five innings. He’s scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Mariners and Orioles.

Gray racked up six strikeouts on the evening while issuing a pair of free passes. The Giants scratched out a run against him in the third inning, then added three more in the fourth on back-to-back homers from Drew Gilbert and Rafael Devers. Gray buckled down after that though and kept them off the board the rest of his night. He got nine swings and misses on 97 pitches on the evening, registering a CSW of 26 percent. Now 16-3 on the year, he’ll carry a stellar 2.79 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 123/36 K/BB ratio (138 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Marlins in Miami.

Gray gave up six hits, walked one and struck out seven. He improved to 15-3 with the win. Gray is quietly in the middle of one of the best seasons of his career at age-36. His 2.65 ERA is his first sub-3.00 ERA since 2023 with the Twins and his 15 wins are a career-high. With about six weeks still left in the regular season, he could flirt with 20 wins. Gray will face the Giants at home in his next start on Friday.

Gray carried a shutout into the fifth inning before coughing up a solo homer to rookie Charles McAdoo. He surrendered an additional run in the ensuing frame, but managed to strand a couple baserunners to avoid further damage. He finished with four strikeouts and only issued one walk. He’ll square off against the Pirates to wrap up a two-start week on Saturday.

Gray gave up three hits, walked two and struck out eight. He improved to 14-2 with the win. Gray allowed two singles and a double, but no runs against the White Sox. He lowered his ERA to 2.78 as his excellent season continues. Gray is lined up to face the Blue Jays on the road next week.

The Red Sox didn’t take their first lead until the eighth, but that still worked out for Gray, who picked up his 13th win of the year. He’s tied with Cristopher Sánchez for the major league lead in the category, and he’s just one away from matching his career high of 14, which he set in his first full season in 2014 and matched in 2015 and again in 2025. He’ll face the White Sox next week.

Gray tossed two scoreless innings, stranding two runners in the second inning, but ran into trouble in the third. He recorded two quick outs, then struggled to find the third as the Blue Jays brought five runs in on six consecutive hits, including a three-run blast by George Springer. Gray would give the Red Sox two more scoreless innings, ending his day after five with three strikeouts. It was the first start in which Gray allowed more than three runs since April 14. The 36-year-old right-hander will take a 2.78 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 93/28 K/BB ratio across 106 2/3 innings into a start against the Athletics in Sacramento on Thursday.

Gray gave up five hits, walked four and struck out five. He improved to 12-1 with the win. Gray allowed an inside-the-park home run to Victor Mesa Jr. in the second inning, but otherwise held the Rays scoreless for six innings. He has a 2.48 ERA and 3.67 xFIP. Gray is lined up to face the Blue Jays at home next weekend.

Meant to be tired after the Red Sox’s travel woes between Thursday and Friday, Gray lulled the Mets to sleep here. He didn’t have anything close to his best swing-and-miss stuff and only forced two whiffs, but showed great command of his sinker and used it to wriggle out of a few jams with some timely double plays. After this excellent start, he’ll close the first half with a 2.54 ERA, 85 strikeouts, and 24 walks across 95 2/3 innings. That is the lowest ERA by a qualified pitcher that did not make either All-Star team.

The complicating factor here is that the Red Sox may not sell if they turn things around — three wild card teams have been a disincentive for early trades — and they seem to be showing some sparks of life lately. Gray hails from Nashville and would presumably waive his no-trade clause to go to the Braves. It would seem to be a good match, given Atlanta’s banged up rotation, if the Red Sox do sell.

Sonny Gray has a no trade clause and has been really good for a Boston team that is only four games out of the Wild Card in the American League, so he shouldn’t be viewed as a slam dunk trade candidate. In addition to that, as Passan notes, his contract is a potential probably because, in addition to his $10 million salary over the final two months of th eseason, his restructed contract includes a $10 million buyout on a $30 million mutual option for 2027. That leaves “Boston somewhat hamstrung unless it’s willing to pay down a significant portion and convince Gray to accept a deal.”