BOSTON -- A player with a no-trade clause has the rare freedom to have a say in his future baseball home. It usually involves deliberation with the family, some sort of pro/con list and a discussion with other confidants.

For Sonny Gray , who was traded to the Red Sox last week from the Cardinals , none of these things really came into play.

You want the truth?

He essentially couldn’t say yes fast enough.

Gray was candid with Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom at the end of the regular season that a new destination was probably best for a player still trying to win a World Series and a club that is embarking on a rebuild.

A few weeks later, when Bloom told Gray who was interested, he couldn’t believe his good fortune.

“[Bloom] said the Red Sox, and I immediate

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