Gray, Contreras earn All-MLB honors after helping fuel Red Sox's turnaround

BOSTON -- In separate trades with the Cardinals -- one two days before Thanksgiving and the other three days prior to Christmas -- the Red Sox planted the seeds for their 2026 trip to the postseason.

But the first thing Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras had to do for those deals to come to fruition was waive their no-trade clauses. Nearly a year later, the Red Sox are sure glad they did.

Backed by his season-long heroics from the mound every fifth or sixth day, Gray stepped up as the team’s ace while Garrett Crochet missed most of the season with left shoulder inflammation. First baseman Contreras emerged into the middle-of-the-order bat the club desperately needed, producing career highs in homers (27) and OPS (.901).

As a reward for their combined excellence, Gray and Contreras were named to the All-MLB Second Team on Wednesday at the MLB Awards Show presented by MGM Rewards in Las Vegas.

After he teamed with Contreras for two years in St. Louis, Gray enjoyed Contreras getting more attention around the league for his performance with Boston.

“Willson's been one of the best hitters in this league for about 10 years,” Gray said. “People might not realize that, but just look it up. He has been. And I have all the confidence in the world in him. He's one of my closest friends that I've made in baseball. I respect the crap out of him, and he's a really, really good player.”

The duo’s appreciation for one another was obvious.

“I think he can be one of the best pitchers in baseball,” Contreras said. “He's been doing it for a long time. He’s a vet. He knows what he's doing, he knows the hitter, he knows the count, he knows everything. His preparation is off the charts, and that's what happens when you prepare yourself well and execute pitches.” 

When the Red Sox struggled to score early in the season, Contreras came up with the big hits to keep the team afloat. And when they took off in the summer with runs of 27-3 and 32-5 that nobody saw coming, Contreras was in the middle of many rallies.

In the middle of it all, he was rewarded as a participant in the Home Run Derby for the first time and made the All-Star team for the fourth time.

“It’s been amazing,” Contreras said. “I’m blessed, to be honest; that's the way I think. I think I made the right decision to come here and be with these special guys.”

Gray, who celebrated his 37th birthday four days before Wednesday’s award ceremony, turned in one of the most complete seasons of his career, going 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA.

The righty with the six-pitch mix allowed more than three earned runs in just four of his 29 starts. He allowed one or zero runs 16 times.

There were many performances to remember, but the most notable one took place on June 28. On Sunday Night Baseball, as the Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the Yankees that fueled their stunning turnaround from 14 games under .500 to the postseason, Gray had a no-hitter for 7 1/3 innings before Amed Rosario broke it up with a single. Gray came out after that, but he made his presence felt in a big game, walking one and striking out nine on 97 pitches.

Gray could feel the Fenway crowd as they grasped what he was doing.

“I think in the sixth inning, they started really getting into it. And that was cool,” Gray said. “And when I came out, it seemed like they appreciated the outing tonight. We need them if we're going to get back into this thing. And they were here for us this weekend, so I appreciate that.”

The Red Sox did get back into “this thing” in a big way, becoming the first team in history to make the postseason after being 14 games under .500.

The stunning run wouldn’t have been possible without Gray and the sidekick he sometimes refers to as “mi hermano.”