Sonny Gray Plans To Pitch In 2027

There were some retirement rumblings around Sonny Gray this year but he’ll be back, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “My family and I have talked about it and it’s an easy decision,” Gray said in a text message to the Globe. “I still want to win a World Series, whether that is [with] Boston or with whoever wants me.” Gray will soon turn 37 but he is still a very effective pitcher. He just gave the Red Sox 169 innings over 29 starts, allowing 2.72 earned runs per nine innings. His 21.8% strikeout rate was essentially league average for a starter this year while his 6.7% walk rate and 46% ground ball rate were both better than par. He got a bit of help from a .283 batting average on balls in play and 83.2% strikeout rate. His ERA is perhaps a bit misleading but his 3.47 FIP and 3.92 SIERA suggest he would have still been effective with more neutral luck. The only reason his status was somewhat questionable was due to his personal life. Gray mentioned in September that he would “be done in a heartbeat” if his family wanted him to give up the sport and be a full-time dad. It seems that the family discussion didn’t last too long. The Red Sox were eliminated less than two weeks ago but the Gray family has already made a decision about next year. More to come. View Comments (7)