Yankees Trade Rumors: Sonny Gray A Target For New York Before Deadline

The New York Yankees have already made one of the biggest trades of the 2017 MLB season, but they might not be done dealing. After acquiring bullpen help and adding a power bat from the Chicago White Sox, the Bronx Bombers are looking to upgrade their rotation.

That’s where the Oakland Athletics come in. The team is reportedly willing to deal Sonny Gray, who has been involved in trade rumors for much of the year.

READ: Yankees Could Add Starting Pitcher After White Sox Trade

Gray checks all the boxes the Yankees are looking for in a pitcher. He’s young with the skills to be in the front of their rotation, and he won’t be a free agent until after the 2019 season. That’s why, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, New York and Oakland are having continued discussions about the right-hander.

Being sellers at last year’s trade deadline allowed the Yankees to stockpile prospects, giving them one of the best farm systems in all of baseball. They have the necessary pieces in order to acquire a player as good as Gray, or even a perennial All-Star. The biggest question surrounds what the Yankees might be willing to give up to improve their major league roster.

Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has described the organization as a “careful buyer,” looking to make trades that will help them in 2017 and beyond without mortgaging their future. That’s why the Yankees are focused on Gray and not someone like Yu Darvish, who would cost New York prospects and isn’t under contract for the 2018 season.

The Yankees weren't expected to be in a position to make the playoffs before the start of the year, but that’s exactly where they are as the trade deadline approaches. They are tied with the first-place Boston Red Sox in the loss column, trailing them by two games for the AL East lead. New York currently holds the first AL Wild-Card spot.

Adding a player like Gray might not make the Yankees one of the favorites to win the World Series, though it’d certainly give them a better chance to contend in October. New York is second in the AL in runs scored, and they seemingly solidified their bullpen by acquiring relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. With a season-ending injury to Michael Pineda and the struggles of Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees’ rotation is a glaring weakness.

It’s hard to believe that the Yankees would part with their top two prospects. Infielder Gleyber Torres might be the best player currently in the minor leagues, and outfielder Clint Frazier has looked like he could be a cornerstone of New York’s outfield for years to come.

READ: Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox Expected To Be Buyers Before MLB Deadline

The Chicago Cubs sent the White Sox their top two prospects in exchange for starting pitcher Jose Quintana, and it’s pretty clear that the Yankees won’t pay the same price for Gray. Trading another promising young player, however, isn’t out of the question. They dealt Blake Rutherford, a top-four prospect in the organization, in their deal with the White Sox.

Gray is 6-4 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 15 starts this season. He had a career-high 5.69 ERA in 2016, though he pitched to a combined 2.91 ERA in his previous two seasons.