A couple of teams will have to watch out for Sonny Gray in Boston's potential free-agent market. Gray, who has a mutual option with the [Red Sox](https://nesn.com/boston-red-sox), figures to be available. There's reason to believe Gray will opt out of this deal, or the Red Sox will.
Regardless, teams typically decline mutual options, and players then become free agents. That doesn't mean Gray can't return to Boston on a new deal, but it's ultimately something that's going to have to be decided on.
There have been rumblings that Gray is interested in returning to Boston, but if he doesn't, he could want to play closer to home in Nashville, Tennessee.
There aren't many teams around Tennessee due to the state not having a Major League Baseball squad, but it seems like the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, and others are all close enough.
According to the latest report, the Cubs could be of interest to the right-hander, as Chicago has needs on the mound and cash to spend this winter.
“Having a Vanderbilt connection isn’t a prerequisite, but it probably doesn’t hurt that the Cubs have a Gold Glove shortstop (Dansby Swanson), a bench coach (Ryan Flaherty) and a general manager (Carter Hawkins) with ties to the same SEC program. Chicago’s relative proximity to the Nashville area, where Gray’s family is rooted, could also be a plus for a pitcher at this late stage of his career,” Patrick Mooney and Shadev Sharma [wrote](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7705123/2026/10/20/cubs-pitching-free-agents-skubal-peralta-2026/).
Much of this will come down to what the Red Sox are willing to pay Gray and whether he truly wants to be closer to home.
If he does, Boston isn't exactly far, since it's still on the East Coast, but Chicago would also be a welcoming opportunity for the right-hander. Given how well he threw last season, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Cubs give him a decent contract, which could ultimately be the deciding factor.
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