Chicago Cubs rumors: Trade with A’s for Sonny Gray extremely unlikely
Recent Chicago Cubs rumors have connected the team to Oakland A’s starting pitcher Sonny Gray. However, after trading for Jose Quintana, any trade for a big name like Gray is unlikely.
Even after making a big move for Jose Quintana, the Chicago Cubs may not be done adding to their rotation. Quintana undoubtedly makes the Cubs rotation much better both this season and beyond, but there is room for one more rotation addition if they wish. According to MLB insiders Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal, Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray is squarely on the Cubs’ radar.
Sources: #Cubs continuing to show interest in Sonny Gray, even after Jose Quintana trade. One reason: Vacancy still remains in '18 rotation.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 14, 2017
Source confirms: #Cubs pursuing Gray even after getting Quintana. First reported: @jonmorosi.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 14, 2017
Gray is an extremely talented pitcher who was one of the most productive young starters in baseball from when he came up in 2013 through the 2015 season. Through those first three years in the big leagues, Gray never had an ERA over 3.08 with the A’s. Unfortunately, Gray has struggled with a lot of injuries in recent years and was absolutely awful in Oakland last season.
In 22 starts last season, Gray posted an ugly 5.69 ERA. He gave up way too many home runs (17.5% home run to fly ball ratio, according to FanGraphs) and was not striking out enough batters (18.2% strikeout rate).
Strong in 2017
While he has not been as dominant as his early years, Gray has gotten his career back on track this season. He has a 3.72 ERA through 14 starts and his 3.46 FIP suggests that he is even better than that ERA shows. His home run to fly ball ratio (14.3%) is better but still high. However, his 22.8% strikeout rate is extremely encouraging.
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The 27 year old Gray is still under arbitration the next two seasons. Meaning he is under reasonable team control through the 2019 season. With his past success, recent turnaround and being under team control, Gray is the most valuable starting pitcher currently available on the market.
The Chicago Cubs would obviously love to be involved in a deal with Gray, but after trading for Quintana, I just don’t see it happening.
I love the Cubs’ deal for Quintana. He was the perfect addition for this team to make. However, they did give up a lot in the deal with the Chicago White Sox. Eloy Jimenez is one of the top prospects in the game and one of the Cubs’ best trade chips. Sending him away for Quintana made a ton of sense, but it did take away some of their flexibility on the trade market.
Asking price will just be too high
When Morosi and Rosenthal report that the Cubs are still interested in Gray, I believe it. They would undoubtedly love nothing more than to add a guy like him to their rotation. However, I just do not see how the pieces fit.
Any trade for Gray would likely have to involve somebody like Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Ian Happ or Addison Russell. I am not saying that those guys are untouchable, but they are all so important to the current success of the team. Does replacing, let’s say, Happ for Gray really make the Cubs better in 2017?
Their rotation goes from good to great, but they lose one of their most productive bats in the middle of the order. If the Chicago Cubs are going to do a deal for Gray, they do not want it to come from major pieces on the big league team. However, after trade Jimenez and top pitching prospect Dylan Cease to the White Sox, the minor league cupboard is relatively bare.
Feasible package for Cubs is not enough for A’s
My guess is that Theo Epstein and company approached Billy Beane with a package of prospects for Sonny Gray. Something like the sweet-swinging Jeimer Candelario, catcher Victor Caratini and interesting pitching prospect Tommy Hatch probably isn’t too bad of an offer. But Beane knows that he can get better on the trade market.
Simply put, after trading Jimenez, any deal for Gray is unlikely. Beane is going to insist on one of their big-time major league position players and I just do not see the Cubs front office letting them go. Thinking about a rotation including Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, Quintana and Gray is exciting, but do not expect it to happen.
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A Chicago Cubs trade for Sonny Gray is extremely unlikely to happen. Instead, look for the team to continue to build with minor moves. A trade for a veteran backup catcher, bullpen arm or a minor addition to the starting rotation would make a ton of sense.