The Yankees could be a major player in the Sonny Gray market
With
the July Trade Deadline on the horizon, teams are starting to realize where
they stand amongst the rest of the teams in Major League Baseball. The Yankees
were not projected to be in the thick of things once the season hit the halfway
mark, but here they are tied for first place with the Boston Red Sox. This by default
labels the Yankees as “buyers” like most teams are with a legitimate shot at a
postseason berth. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the Yankees could
potentially make a huge splash for the Oakland Atheltics’ ace, Sonny Gray.
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| Photo Credit: SF Chronicles |
In
the Yankees’ recent skid, their bullpen was an obvious weakness as they blew
game after game. Passan noted, however, that the “cratering of their starting
pitching” was also to blame for the Yankees losing their comfortable first-place
lead. In their last 60 innings pitched before Montgomery’s magnificent start against
the White Sox on Monday, the Yankees’ starting pitching had allowed 13 home runs and had
a collectable 6.00 ERA. For a team that has had its foundation built on quality
start after quality start, (minus a certain Masahiro most days) this rough
patch of starts depicts how badly the Yankees need solid outings from their
rotation in order to succeed.
So,
why Sonny Gray? Most importantly, the Athletics have made it clear that he is
available this summer, as he is having a nice rebound season after pitching
horrendously in 2016. The A’s have tried to hold onto Gray for many off-seasons
and deadlines in an effort to build his trade value, but after 2016, this may be
the highest Gray’s value has been in almost a year and a half, and the Athletics
would be foolish not to deal him when the quality of starting pitching will not be
very abundant come July.
Sonny
Gray has ace-caliber stuff and already has an All-Star appearance under his
belt. He is only 27-years-old and is under contract until the 2020 season. At
his best Gray has proved to be a pitcher who can pitch to a sub-3.00 ERA and
give his team 200-plus innings. Gray would be a fantastic fit for the Yankees
due to his age and the fact that he can be an asset to the rotation for the
Yankees’ next few seasons or more.
The
biggest problem is that it is going to take a lot to get Sonny Gray to the
Bronx. Even though his numbers aren’t dazzling, the market for him is huge
including teams like the Astros, Red Sox, Cubs, and Braves. In a market that is
low on pitching, Billy Beane and the A’s management are going to try to
strategically land the best package possible. Gray is also not a half-season
rental due to his contract, and the Yankees know first-hand how a guy with a
long contract can bring back a massive haul.
Two possible packages:
Athletics trade RHP Sonny Gray to the New
York Yankees for OF Dustin Fowler and RHP Chance Adams
This
package probably made the reader cringe reading it as did it make me when I
typed it. Fowler is having a fantastic year at Triple-A Scranton as he is
hitting .291 with 39 extra base-hits and 13 stolen bases. Adams is pitching phenomenally
with a 2.12 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Fowler and Adams are two
dynamic players that could possibly lure the A’s into trading away Gray without
the Yankees needing to give up more than two prospects. Fowler is expendable
due to the Yankees’ luxury of having an ample amount of solid outfielders, but
having to deal Adams would be a hefty price that the Yankees would most likely have
to pay up.
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| Photo Credit: Riveraveblues |
Athletics trade RHP Sonny Gray and RHP
Ryan Madson to the New York Yankees for LHP Justus Sheffield, 3B Miguel
Andujar, RHP Ben Heller and RHP Albert Abreu
This
package is more on the side of quantity versus quality of prospects. The
Yankees would not be losing any of their big shot prospects, but would have to
part ways with three of their top ten prospects in this deal. Sheffield and
Heller were acquired in the Andrew Miller trade. Sheffield would give the A’s
another solid arm to be a part of their future rotation and Heller could
replace Madson in the A’s bullpen. Andujar would give the A’s a future corner infielder
and Abreu would be another hard throwing arm for their future. I threw in Ryan
Madson in this deal, because the Yankees can clearly use some bullpen help and taking
Madson’s contract off of the A’s books could allow them to not have to part
ways with their most coveted of prospects.
While
Passan’s report was just a rumor and could be irreleveant to the Yankees’ trade
deadline plans, if the Yankees truly believe that 2017 is their season to
contend, Gray would undeniably make them a better team. The Yankees will in all
likelihood have to give up a lot in order to acquire Gray’s services, and they
will have to decide if that move is better for them in long-run.
Article
by: Ryan Thoms
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