The Boston Red Sox couldn’t finalize their acquisition of starting pitcher Sonny Gray until talking to… well, Sonny Gray.

Gray wasn’t eligible to be moved unless he waived the no-trade clause in his contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, which he agreed to do after learning which team was interested in obtaining his services.

“The no-trade (clause) is a great barometer for how interested a player is in coming to a specific destination,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said during his media availability Tuesday, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “And so by nature of Sonny’s willingness to waive it to come here, I think that says a lot about his interest.”

Breslow had an opportunity to speak with Gray, who was overwhelmingly excited about joining the club.

“I think he sa

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