If the 2026 MLB season started today, the Boston Red Sox’s top three starting pitchers would be Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, and Brayan Bello. After acquiring Gray in a surprising trade with the St. Louis Cardinals , the Red Sox have bolstered their rotation, and they’re likely not done on that front.

But despite what’s coming next, Red Sox fans should be excited in the present moment about adding a talented arm like Gray to the mix. Boston’s brass certainly is. While the Cards sent $20 million to Boston to pay for nearly half of Gray’s $41 million owed in 2026, the remaining cost is still significant, but the Red Sox clearly felt that Sonny was worth the price of admission.

It’s obvious that CBO Craig Breslow and the rest of the Red Sox front office view Gray as a pitcher who checks m

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