New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone says he has no hard feelings toward Sonny Gray.
Gray said last week, after the Red Sox acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals in a trade, that he never wanted to play for the Yankees and was happy to now be on the other side of the New York-Boston rivalry.
The Yankees traded with the Oakland Athletics for Gray during the 2017 season. Gray spent 2018 with the Yankees then was traded to the Cincinnati Reds that offseason. Gray said having a chance to be with the archrival was part of the reason he waived a no-trade in his contract to accept a trade for the Red Sox.
“What did factor into my decision to come to Boston is it feels good to me to go to a place now where you know what, it’s easy to hate the Yankees, right?,” Gray said. “It’s easy to go out and have that rivalry and go in it with full force, full steam ahead. I like the challenge. I appreciate the challenge. I accept the challenge. But this time around it's just go out and be yourself. Don't try to be anything other than yourself and if people don't like it, it is what it is. I am who I am, and I'm OK with that.”
Boone admitted Monday during the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando that Gray’s comments caught him off guard.
“A little bit surprised any time a player comes out and says that,” Boone said. “But that's all right. He's in Boston now. He's not supposed to like us anyway. That being said, I've always really liked Sonny, gotten along well with him. If he'll spice up the rivalry a little, there's nothing wrong with that. But I was a little surprised how deep he went.”
Gray was 15-16 with a 4.51 in 41 games (34 starts) for the Yankees. Since then, he has gone 66-50 with a 3.51 ERA in 184 starts over seven seasons with the Reds, Minnesota Twins and Cardinals.
Boone said he was surprised that Gray used the word “hate” to describe his time with the Yankees.
“I don't know about hated,” Boone said. “I don't know if I would have characterized it like that. I know it wasn't certainly the best stop for him, but one of those probably important steps along what's been a really good career for him.”