Reds may be prepared to give Yankees fans an early Christmas gift
Sonny Gray has absolutely no future with the Yankees. Lucky for him, the Cincinnati Reds are interested in ending his New York nightmare.
Brian Cashman has made no secret of his intention to trade Sonny Gray this winter. The only real question is what team might be interested in taking him off the Yankees hands. Evidently, the Cincinnati Reds are a real possibility.
If the Reds do offer a meaningful asset for the much-maligned right-hander, expect Yankees fans on social media to declare it an unofficial holiday. Gray arrived in the Bronx with massive expectations. Most expected him to slot into the front end of New York’s rotation for years to come.
Unfortunately, none of that happened. Gray never looked anything close to comfortable on the mound at Yankees Stadium. He sported a 6.97 home ERA in 2018 compared to a really solid mark of 3.18 on the road. That split gives some hope to teams that might want to take a flier on Gray, but it also makes it obvious the Yankees have to move him.
It’s fair to wonder what the Yankees might actually receive in exchange for such a distressed asset. Early indications signal that New York might be able to pry a mid-tier prospect away from the Reds in a deal. Cashman isn’t going to get a top-5 prospect in Cincinnati’s organization, but he might be able to squeeze a top-10 farm hand into the deal.
As #Yankees and #Reds discuss a Sonny Gray trade, one would expect Yankees to ask for Cincinnati’s top shortstop prospect, given injury to Didi Gregorius. His name: Jeter Downs. (Alas, Jeter spent this year in the Midwest League and probably isn’t ready to fill in at @MLB level.)
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 16, 2018
From the Reds perspective, this deal makes a ton of sense. Cincinnati had a lot of success rehabilitating Matt Harvey after he blew up last season for the Mets. It’s not unreasonable to think they can do the same for Gray. It wouldn’t really surprise anyone if he was able to establish himself as an adequate starting pitcher outside of the limelight of New York City.
Next. Yankees should deal Miguel Andujar for one of these five aces. dark
For the Yankees, this is a classic example of trying to make a deal that provides addition by subtraction. Gray’s presence on the roster is a millstone hanging around the organization’s neck. The fans detest him. Aaron Boone doesn’t trust him. Getting anything of potential value in exchange for Gray would be a great deal by Cashman. The Yankees GM would certainly like to stop talking about the colossal flop.