MLB Trade Rumors 2019: Top 25 assets

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 20: San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) throws a pitch during a MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 20, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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CINCINNATI, OH – JUNE 16: Sonny Gray #54 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during a game against the Texas Rangers at Great American Ball Park on June 16, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 11-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

13. Sonny Gray

After a disappointing year-plus with the New York Yankees, former Cy Young candidate Sonny Gray was shipped to the Cincinnati Reds for a very minimal return. The Yankees just wanted to dump his salary and the Reds were looking to acquire a trade chip with high upside and limited downside. Through the middle of June, the trade looks good for both parties.

Gray looks much closer to the version of himself that went 33-20 with a 2.88 ERA in Oakland from 2013 to 2015. He is only 2-5 but has a 3.65 ERA, 3.01 FIP and has allowed only four home runs in 66.2 innings with 71 strikeouts. Gray might never live up to the high standards he set for himself his first two full seasons in the big leagues, but he looks like he could help a contender again.

The Reds bet that Gray could redeem himself after an ugly 2018 season, and he is doing just that in 2019. He has even managed to pitch well in the Great American Ballpark. Potential trade partners should be even more excited about his 3.21 ERA in six starts on the road away from the Reds hitter-friendly park.

By the end of July, Gray will be on the way to his fourth team in three years. The A’s pushed him extremely hard early in his career, and he has had to reinvent himself. Gray is no longer a 200-inning workhorse, but he is an intriguing trade target for the playoffs, especially when most teams no longer ask their starter for more than five or six strong innings.

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