The Cincinnati Reds are said to be open to trading starting pitcher Sonny Gray, according to a report Tuesday via Twitter from ESPN's Buster Olney.
The Enquirer's Bobby Nightengale wrote Tuesday that a trade of Gray could be more likely with the veteran right-hander entering the final guaranteed season of his contract, along with injuries he's endured and less effectiveness in his third season with the Reds when compared with his first two with the team.
Gray, who turned 32 earlier this month, was an All-Star in 2019, finishing 11-8 with a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts. He was 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA in 11 starts in 2020, and 7-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 26 starts last season.
MLBtraderumors.com's Anthony Franco on Gray:
Gray looks like a fairly straightforward trade candidate as he enters the final guaranteed year of his contract. He’s slated to earn around $10.67MM in 2022 and remains under club control for 2023 via $12.5MM club option. (Gray would also receive a $1MM assignment bonus in the event of a trade). That’s a reasonable sum for a pitcher of Gray’s caliber, but it also makes him Cincinnati’s fourth-highest paid player. And the three players set to earn loftier sums (Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas and Eugenio Suárez) wouldn’t be easy to move. Votto’s a franchise icon who has full no-trade protection; Moustakas and Suárez are coming off bad 2021 seasons and wouldn’t figure to hold much appeal to other clubs.
On the other hand, Gray offers a blend of fairly substantial but still team-friendly salary that could make a trade realistic. He’s coming off a season in which he posted a 4.19 ERA/3.85 SIERA across 135 1/3 innings. That’s decent mid-rotation production, and Gray was even better over his first couple seasons in Cincinnati. Despite pitching in one of the league’s more hitter-friendly home environments, the right-hander reeled off 231 1/3 innings of 3.07 ERA ball from 2019-20.
USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale reported earlier this month that the Los Angeles Dodgers engaged in trade talks with the Reds about Gray and follow right-handed starting pitcher Luis Castillo.
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