8:13am: Catching prospect Nate Baez is headed to Boston in exchange for Gray’s services, as reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN. Baez, 24, was a 12th-round selection by Minnesota in the 2022 draft and hit .278/.371/.423 in 96 games split between the High-A and Double-A levels last year.
7:41am: The Red Sox are trading infielder Tristan Gray to the Twins, according to a report from Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The return Boston will receive in exchange for Gray’s services is not yet clear. Minnesota will need to make a corresponding move to add Gray to the 40-man roster, assuming the return to Boston is not a player on the 40-man.
Gray, 30 in March, was a 13th-round pick by the Pirates back in 2017 who has received sporadic playing time at the big league level over the past three seasons. After short stints with the Rays, Marlins, and A’s that added up to just 36 total plate appearances across the 2023 and ’24 seasons, Gray got his longest big league opportunity with Tampa last year. In 86 trips to the plate across 30 games, Gray slashed .231/.282/.410 with a wRC+ of 89 while splitting time between all four infield spots. He was traded to the Red Sox at the outset of the offseason but is now on the move once again.
Interestingly, despite being a left-handed hitter Gray did his best work against fellow southpaws. Two of his three home runs came against same-handed pitching last year, and his career slash line against lefties is .360/.407/.680 in 27 trips to the plate as opposed to a much less impressive .163/.223/.279 line in 95 trips to the plate against right-handers. Of course, using left/right splits with a sample size that small can often be misleading, so it’s fair to wonder how much Gray’s reverse platoon splits would hold up if given a longer leash in the majors. It’s hard to believe that Gray would be able to keep up a career OPS north of 1.000 against lefties at the big league level, if exposed to major league pitching long-term.
Regardless of the unusual shape of his production, Gray is a career .242/.310/.472 hitter at the Triple-A level with experience all over the infield. While he hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity to show what he can do in the majors to this point, perhaps Minnesota will be the place where he gets that chance. The Twins have Luke Keaschall at second base, Brooks Lee at shortstop, and Royce Lewis at third base headed into the season. Gray isn’t going to bump any of those high-upside talents from their positions, but each comes with a significant injury history that could create opportunities in the majors throughout the season.
Headed into Spring Training, Gray figures to compete for a utility infield role on the Twins’ bench. There’s plenty of internal competition for that role already. Kody Clemens and Austin Martin are likely viewed as the favorites for that sort of role given their solid production last season, and players like Vidal Brujan, Eric Wagaman, and Ryan Kreidler could also find themselves in the mix for a bench job. It’s a deep enough group with enough big league experience that Gray figures to face an uphill battle making the team’s roster out of camp, but perhaps injuries elsewhere on the roster could allow him to find his way back to the majors sometime this year.
Wow, such a light return for Joe Ryan…
Meow – Did somebody forget to tell Breslow that Mickey Gasper is no longer on the Twins?
He was already picked up by the Nationals
Another shade of Gray, what’s that, 51 now?
Butter them up for Ryan?
Just clearing a spot on the 40-man for Ranger.
Yep Fever. I’m glad it wasn’t the release of Sogard who was the other likely possibility. I’d rather have Sogard in spring training and didn’t understand getting Grey to begin with.
Jovani Moran could have been cut too, but I guess he’s a lefty arm and we have like none of those
I hope they keep Sogard around too. I think they will; multi-positional guy with speed, switch hitter and even if the 85 OPS+ remains you could do worse for his other skills.
I thought they really liked him. Guess not.
Red Sox want to remain just friends.
God forbid Hamilton be the guy they move on from
this might be my crackpot theory but i think dhams value in most gms eyes is highly overrated bc of his speed. not saying he’s gonna net a headliner trade or anything, but i think many gms believe theg can develop him into a 2-3 WAR type of guy when in reality he’s never going to crack even 1.5War
Barring injuries, Hamilton is likely gone by opening day. It seemed like he lost a half step last season and Eaton has supplanted him as the team’s top pinch runner but it remains intriguing to Boston and maybe other clubs as well.
BoSox – He had 2.6 WAR in just 98 games/317 PA’s in 2024.
He also had a .916 OPS in 31 games from April 25th to June 12th of that year.
I can see why they are giving him every opportunity.
The Pirates once turned this guy into 4.2 WAR from Corey Dickerson.
Ehhhhhh no peg
I usually stay on top of Boston’s 40-Man roster but I had no idea Tristan Gray was part of the Red Sox organization, let alone on the 40-man. Hopefully, the deal is just for cash considerations or a young wild card, as the Sox need room on their 40-man roster to continue building out their 2026 team.
Dotty – The Red Sox traded Luis Guerrero for Gray last year. They’ve made a whole bunch of trades this offseason, mostly minor ones.
Thanks, Fever. I remember being disappointed in the return they got for Guerrero, but I didn’t remember it was Tristan Gray. Sox did okay here on this deal. They get a developmental catcher (which they are relatively weak on) and clear a 40-man spot for Ranger. Now it’s time for Breslow to trade some of their starting pitching depth for an everyday second baseman.
On that note, why do I have a bad feeling that Vaughn Grissom is going to turn into the everyday second baseman the Red Sox have been looking for since Pedey.
Dotty – LOL ….. Grissom may become a good hitter, but I don’t think he will be a good defensive 2B. Time will tell.
Fever and Dotty, I’m hoping Grissom develops finally but I doubt he will. Had Sale not produced in 24 like he did, no one would care.
Grissom got traded to the angels weeks ago
DM, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one to miss him on the 40, Kind of a worrisome warning flare that our 40 is so lacking this close to ST.
DBH:
‘worrisome warning flare’
Why? Red Sox couldnt get Criswell or Gray through waivers, which is a testament to its depth. Frequently, other teams are waiving players through to their minors. The bottom of RS 40-man is stronger than many teams.
Looking at the return, I’m reversing my position on this. Nice prospect pick up for Boston.!
It’s actually a great sign that the last guy on the 40-man can be be traded for a prospect. That’s not the case for most of MLB, as evidenced by all of the waiver reports these past couple of months.
Dorothy- 11/18/25 Tristan Gray acquired for Luis Guerrero. The trade happened on a day the Red Sox made five transactions. It was a trade to bolster AAA depth middle infield and have an asset that would be tradable later. Breslow has gotten something for each player prior top Red Sox brass would have DFAed. He has signed the Abraham Toro and Nate Eatons that have actually contributed to a playoff team rather than simple roster filler.
The big goof was signing Bregman to basically a one year deal (but I think the Red Sox really wanted to off load Devers contract anyway). Bregman should have just been signed to a 6 year deal before 2025 if they were interested in keeping him.
At some point, IMO, a team will approach the Red Sox for a starter, and Bello or Sandoval will be traded, so the Red Sox can duck back under the second CBT payroll level.
I guess we found our backup catcher
Maybe for 2027 or 2028. He just made it to double A last year. Catchers shouldn’t be rushed.
Twins rebuilding roster. They traded a prospect! They are going to win the Central!
Is an Issac Paredes trade coming?
I feel like thats way more Houston wanting it than Boston based on media reports etc ..if they are trying for one of the red sox outfielders using parades as a centerpiece what else will they add to the package to entice boston…let’s not forget the price tag for Duran is cole ragans equivalent and parades alone doesnt line up
I’ve been reading that Houston actually wants Abreu, which is a non-starter for me. They know him well, he costs less in salary and has more years than Duran. is there a team this year that still has to spend like last year? Perhaps the way to get a deal done is to move Yoshida to that third club. Imagine he’s traded to the Pirates with Duran going to Houston. He stays healthy and hits. Then due to injuries Breslow brings him back at the deadline…
Where have you read that Houston wants Abreu?
Only recent report I’ve seen involving the two was Chandler Rome (Athletic) speculating.
Chandler Rome is one of the most reliable Astros writers.
I would actually prefer Abreu, though Duran is nice I don’t want to give up a frontliner for him.
He may be, but he wasn’t quoting a source.
“I would offer you, Wilyer Abreu, as somebody that maybe intrigues them a little bit more,” Rome said.
Reads like speculation to me.
From a Red Sox fan’s perspective, Duran is the player to target if you want a CFer. He’s actually better than the numbers he put up the past two years of he’s allowed to play there. It doesn’t make sense to trade for Duran then stick him in a corner as he’s too good in CF.
Abreu would likely cost less to acquire, is cheaper and has one more year of control. He could play CF in a punch, but has fringy speed and is better used in RF, where he has one of the best (strength with accuracy) arms in the game. That said, while neither Duran nor Abreu hit lefties especially well, Duran has matter against them while Abreu has not, so any Abreu expectations should account for a likely drop in average production if he’s asked to do so.
The Red Sox have been adamant that they plan to bat Abreu against LHPs this upcoming year. We will see how it goes.
He is the source. He doesn’t quote sources, he’s the source that people quote. Although he does quote Espada or Brown, but this is a rumor and this is speculation, but reliable speculation.
@Astros71
As I said, he wasn’t quoting a source. A source in journalism is someone with direct inside knowledge and not the journalist themselves (or vary rarely).
I’m not familiar with Astros reporters, so if your comment was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, I’m not getting it. (Although I have to believe your use of ‘reliable speculation’ is a joke here)
Who would he quote?
It’s speculation, and he is a person with direct inside knowledge by the way. I can tell your not familiar.
@Astros71
If he has ‘direct inside knowledge’ then you’re saying he’s actually in the room with Astros management while they’re discussing these things? Those are typically the only individuals who have ‘direct inside knowledge’.
That’s why most reporters quote ‘anonymous sources’ as their source of information doesn’t wish to be on the record. He did not do that in this case, so I’m left to assume he has no source with ‘direct inside knowledge’ and is simply speculating. ‘Direct inside knowledge’ and ‘speculation’ are mutually exclusive.
Not on that level. Again, this is speculation, and I’ve told you this before. However, he is a person that is among the first to report Astros news, and it’s not uncommon for him to be the first, though Brian McTaggart may beat him to that.
If I remember correctly, he has group chats with Astros officials and was one of their representives (along with Joe Espada and Dana Brown) at the draft lottery.
Now that was speculation, and it was reasonable speculation. I didn’t answer this last time, but we are looking for an outfielder in general, I remember Abreu can play left and right. We aren’t specifically targeting a center fielder and if Duran comes, he’s a left fielder.
I just read deweybelongsinthehall’s comment and Houston isn’t specifically targeting a Boston outfielder. Rome was just saying Wilyer Abreu is another option.
He’s paid to get things right too, so why else would he disinform us with something that he doesn’t believe? It by the way was on his Crush City Territory podcast, which is part of Foul Territory and has very reliable people.
So to be fully clear, you now completely agree with my initial post.
Abreu has won two gold gloves in two years in RF, so I’m pretty confident he would play RF for you guys. Meyers and Duran are pretty even defensively (+11 DRS & +19 FRV in 1,988 innings vs +15 & +10 FRV in 1,004.1) in CF the past two seasons, so they’d be pretty interchageable.
Trade him while his value is low? Why? Isn’t he the main get for Tucker?
“While splitting time between all four outfield spots.”
Must be good to play a position that doesn’t exist.
Gator – Maybe it’s the Gallo/Trout shift, moving an infielder into the outfield ;O)
Probably just a rookie mistake, it happens.
You beat me to it … Thought he might’ve been playing in a beer softball league.
With the fourth outfield spot, the Red Sox have constructed the perfect roster.
(They meant infield)
The Twins really trying to get that AL Central crown with some big moves.
Twins are throwing the whole team at the wall and seeing what sticks. Why trade for guys who will be waver claims in a day?
I’d rather have Tristan Fry. Sky. Yup. That guy.
One reason I hate off season signings is a player may never play for the organization since he can move between 2 or more teams in off season. I’d try to make it so you have to keep a player you acquire or sign until spring training or expand the 40 man to 60 man in off season.
Wut?
I’m gay for Gray 😏