Yankees news: Sonny Gray turns up the heat after Red Sox trade

MLB.com | Brian Murphy: One of the biggest moves of the still-young offseason was former Yankees pitcher Sonny Gray getting traded by the Cardinals to the Red Sox. He had his introductory press conference with Boston, and he talked about his ill-fated time in the Bronx, admitting that New York was never a great fit for him during his 2017-18 tenure and that he never wanted to come to the Yankees in the first place. Gray added “It feels good to me to go to a place now where, you know what, it’s easy to hate the Yankees, right?”

NJ.com | Manny Gómez: Hal Steinbrenner has taken some grief for his recent comments about the Yankees’ budget, but one former player has come out defend him. Former Yankee reliever Zack Britton said in a recent media appearance that Steinbrenner was always open and willing to talk about how the organization was run during Britton’s time in the Bronx from 2018-22. Britton said he truly believes that Steinbrenner is committed to winning, and said he thought he was one of the few MLB owners who generally meant that. Whether or not we actually believe that as Yankee fans is up to you.

New York Post | Nicole Rosenthal: CC Sabathia brought plenty of joy to New Yorkers in his playing career, and he’s bringing some more in retirement. Sabathia and his PitCCh In Foundation was involved and helped with an $11 million renovation to a former Harlem park, turning it into a sports complex for local children.