Sometimes a rivalry needs only a small spark to feel alive again. This week, Sonny Gray supplied one with a single quote, the kind that lands in New York talk radio segments before lunch and finds its way through Boston bars by dinner. The Red Sox didn’t just trade for a veteran starter; they added a little gasoline to a fire that had been running low for a few years.

A New Home and an Old Grudge

The Boston Red Sox landed Gray on November 25, sending Brandon Clarke, Richard Fitts, and a player to be named or cash to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a baseball move first. Boston needed stability, innings, and someone who knows the American League landscape. But the minute Gray started talking, it became clear the deal carried more emotional weight than the typical offseason transaction.

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