The Boston Red Sox are getting ready for the final few games of the regular season, with the postseason starting up next week.
Boston has clinched a playoff spot, and they will be a wild-card team this season. The Red Sox battled back from a very slow start to the season, putting together a massive rally in the middle of the year.
The goal is to win a World Series title, and they seem to have a decent shot at getting it done. But while the players are focused on the play on the field, the front office also has its sights set on the upcoming offseason.
Even with the impending lockout likely coming to baseball, teams all over the league could try to maneuver rosters before it happens. For the Red Sox, they do have a key free agent hitting the market in ace Sonny Gray.
The veteran right-hander has been excellent for the Red Sox this year, firing a 2.79 ERA over 29 innings. Gray has helped establish the Red Sox rotation as one of the best in baseball, and he has been a major reason why the team has made the playoffs.
The right-hander has a mutual option for next season, but there has also been some retirement talk. However, given how strong of a year he has seen, the right-hander may postpone that idea, looking to land one last big contract.
Boston would surely want him back, but that all remains to be seen. But his free agency will be something to watch for the Red Sox and other potentially interested teams out there.
Sonny Gray Gets Major Free Agency Prediction
MLB analyst
“It sounds like everything is on the table for the 36-year-old. Per Mass Live’s Chris Cotillo, Gray could fetch a similar deal to the three-year, $75 million deal Nathan Eovaldi inked with the Texas Rangers two years back. But Cotillo also noted that Gray relayed in a recent interview with The Boston Globe he would retire “in a heartbeat” if his family indicated any desire for him to do so.
“Only Gray knows what he’s thinking, and since he doesn’t need to make a decision right now, it’s very possible even if he isn’t sure. If he wants to keep playing, though, he has clearly set himself up to strike it rich in free agency,” Buckley wrote.
Should Red Sox Resign Sonny Gray?
Given how dominant Gray has been, the Red Sox should try to sign him to a new deal. Even if this would be just for another year or two, having Gray around would help Boston heading into next season.
Gray has seen a lot of success with the Red Sox, and the team is a contender, so the two sides may come together. But for now, the focus will be on trying to win the World Series, with free agency in the back of everyone’s mind.
Red Sox Star Sonny Gray Gets Big Free Agency Prediction Just Before Playoffs