After saying goodbye to Rockies, Jon Gray starts a new chapter in Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas — Inside Globe Life Field, former Colorado Rockies pitcher Jon Gray looked trim and in the best shape of his life (it’s the time of the season for that, right?) standing in front of some of his former teammates and friends filtering through the Rockies dugout. The red Texas Rangers shirt Gray was wearing seemed to blend in nicely with not only his hair and beard, but also the glow he had about him as he talked about joining a new franchise in the offseason.

Make no mistake about it, Jon Gray made an impact with the Colorado Rockies. But he was ready to start a new chapter in the Lone Star State.

“I feel like God opened a door for me and I really needed to trust in that and go along with it,” Gray said before his former team (the Rockies) took on his current team (the Rangers) on what would be the Opening Day for the home portion of the Texas schedule.

That open door was a four-year, $56 million deal Gray inked with Texas just before the MLB lockout kicked into place in early December. It put an end to Gray’s eight-year tenure in Colorado, a place where he said he would love to stay as the trade rumors swirled before the 2021 trade deadline.

“The contract was so good,” Gray smiled. “It felt great to have someone say, ‘We think you are this good and this is why and we are going to help get you there.’ And that was something that I always believed in myself, so it was good to get that kind of confirmation.”

And the Rangers expect Gray to help in return. They named him as their 2022 Opening Day starter, part of a facelift in Texas with the Rangers throwing big money at Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to rebuild their middle of the infield as well.

Gray, however, is looked at to be the cornerstone of a Texas rotation. Now at the age of 30, he is seen as one of the wily veterans.

“We had a young staff in Colorado, but these guys are even younger over here,” said Gray, who lasted four innings and allowed three runs in his Texas debut on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays. “It’s really cool to talk baseball with them and drop some of the stuff I’ve learned over the years and to help them out.

“It’s crazy being the old guy, but it’s a lot of fun too.”

Gray, currently on the 10-day injured list with a right middle finger blister that opened up during his start in Toronto, is embracing the new clubhouse and the pressure that comes along with being the lead pitcher in the Texas rotation as well.

“It’s been fun. It hasn’t put me on my heels at all,” Gray said. “It feels really good. It puts me in attack mode and I feel like that’s a good spot to be in.”

Standing in front of the Rockies dugout, Gray admits he is in a good spot with the Rangers. He also, however, admits that the decision to leave Colorado wasn’t easy.

“It was a very hard decision for me, knowing everyone and being here my whole career,” Gray said. “It was very tough. The fans at Coors Field, I love that place. It was hard to say goodbye, but I feel like it was something I needed to do.”