Overview
- Speaking in Orlando, the Yankees GM said Gray told him after the 2018 trade deadline that he "never wanted to be here," "hates New York," and spent his time in a hotel room.
- Cashman also said Gray attributed earlier pro‑Yankees comments to agent Bo McKinnis, claiming he was told to say he wanted New York to protect future free agency value.
- McKinnis, in statements to The Athletic, rejected Cashman’s account, saying he never advised Gray to lie and that Gray never said, "I want out of Oakland," noting Gray lacked no‑trade rights in 2017.
- Gray, introduced by the Red Sox after a trade from the Cardinals, told reporters he "never wanted to go" to the Yankees and that New York "wasn't a great setup" for him and his family, after waiving a no‑trade clause to join Boston.
- Gray struggled in New York (15–16, 4.51–4.52 ERA) before a January 2019 trade to the Reds and subsequent success elsewhere; no independent corroboration of the private conversations has been presented publicly.