Gray intends to pitch in '27, open to Red Sox return (report)

Sonny Gray isn’t quite ready to hang ‘em up.

After indicating he was at least contemplating retirement after the Red Sox were eliminated from the American League Wild Card Series, Gray intends to return to the mound in 2027, according to a report from The Boston Globe (subscription required).

Gray, who will turn 37 in November, has a mutual option for next season on his contract with the Red Sox. In the event that the option is declined by either party, he is open to returning to Boston as a free agent, according to the Globe.

Gray’s 2026 season was one of the best of his 14-year career. Waiving a no-trade clause to join the Red Sox in a deal with the Cardinals over the offseason, he pitched to a 2.72 ERA in 29 starts and led MLB with 18 wins.

Gray’s final start came in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Yankees. He allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched, striking out five, but expressed frustration that he was lifted with two runners on base in the fifth inning.

“I think I'm the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time. I think that's a fact,” Gray said. “I would have liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that's the competitor I am, and yeah, I think you can probably ask the guys, and they felt the same way. So I felt strong, I felt confident, I felt convicted.”

Manager Chad Tracy took ownership of the decision to pull Gray in his season wrap-up press conference and said he did not believe the move strained the relationship with his starting pitcher.

“The relationship there is good. Do I think he was wanting to stay out there? Quite obviously,” Tracy said. “But five months of relationship-building with players, and I think there's some things, they get painted sometimes [from the outside], that [the decision] stained it or ruined it. It's like, no, I have a very good working relationship with him. [The relationship] is in a fine place while also understanding his feelings on it.”

If Gray indeed returns, it will be for a 15th MLB season. His first year with the Red Sox marked his sixth different team in the big leagues, including previous stints with the Athletics, Yankees, Reds, Twins and Cardinals. The former 27th-round Draft pick of the Cubs in 2008 owns a career 3.51 ERA.