Sonny Gray Calls Out New York Yankees In Press Conference
After being traded to the Boston Red Sox, Sonny Gray took a shot at the Yankees in an interview on MLB Network. Having a no-trade clause with the St. Louis Cardinals, Gray was able to choose where he’d end up. Gray approved the trade to Boston but decided to take a shot at his new division rival, the New York Yankees.
Sonny Gray Goes At Yankees
In his opening press conference with the Boston Red Sox, Gray took multiple jabs at the Yankees. Gray said it’s good to go to a place where it’s easy to hate the Yankees, and stated he never wanted to go to the Yankees when he was traded to the Bronx at the 2017 MLB Trade Deadline. He was definitely trying to add gasoline to the fire when it comes to the rivalry between these two teams, and he got the attention he was looking for.
His words very quickly caught fire amongst the Yankees fanbase, and many fans dug up what Gray had said when he was traded to the Bronx eight years ago.
“I was gonna be a Yankee. I just had a big smile on my face and was ready to get here.”
Even back in 2020, Gray said that he loved his experience in New York and that it made him a better person. He quickly changed his tune, and the rivalry has officially returned.
Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry Is Back
After Gray’s comments, both fan bases are jawing at each other as they did back in the early 2000s when the rivalry was at an all-time high. The Wild Card series last season definitely added to it, and both teams are expected to add significant talent this offseason. Between the two teams, the Red Sox have been less competitive since winning the World Series in 2018.
The Red Sox have a sure-fire ace in Garrett Crochet and a ton of young talent, headlined by Roman Anthony, who missed the end of the season in 2025. They have a ton of money to spend this winter after making two trades to bolster their pitching staff, and can now turn all of their attention to their lineup.
The Yankees, on the other hand, have a lot of work to do if they want to keep pace with the Red Sox and Blue Jays next season. They are said to have a ton of interest in Japanese Ace Tatsuya Imai and are aggressively pursuing Cody Bellinger. The Blue Jays have outdone both teams thus far, signing Dylan Cease to a long-term contract, and are pursuing Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette as they look to return to the World Series in 2026.
