dpGeography could loom large here; as in, it could be the deciding factor.
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray walks back to the dugout after being pulled during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of baseball’s American League Wild Card Series, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in New York. (Frank Franklin II/AP)
The Braves and Sonny Gray have been like star-crossed lovers for nearly a decade. Is this finally their Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan moment?
Gray, who turns 37 in a few days, is a free agent. He’ll have options as one of the best starting pitchers available in a weaker class. He’s well-documented to prefer playing closer to his home in Nashville, Tennessee.
There’s no closer team to Music City than the Braves. Drive out of Atlanta early afternoon and you can be strolling down Broadway in the early evening. Shoot, Atlanta and Nashville are such close neighbors that Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller has publicly shared his opposition to MLB expanding there, citing the importance of Middle Tennessee as Braves territory.
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Gabriel Burns is a general assignment reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After four years on the Braves beat, he’s expanded his horizons and covers all sports. You’ll find him writing about MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and other Atlanta-centric happenings.
