The New York Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman are on the cusp of getting their wish of shipping pitcher Sonny Gray out of town.
Multiple reports have indicated that New York has a deal in place with the Cincinnati Reds that sends the 29-year-old right-hander to Great American Ballpark for the Reds’ No. 7 prospect Shed Long, a draft pick and a minor leaguer.
There is a snag, however, as Fancred’s Jon Heyman reports that the Reds are trying to extend Gray’s contract before finalizing the deal. The 72-hour-deadline to do so before the trade is abandoned is on Monday evening.
Gray quickly fell from an effective American League pitcher to a liability after the Yankees acquired him from the Oakland Athletics in 2017. After going 44-36 with a 3.42 ERA over four-plus seasons with the A’s, Gray has a 4.51 ERA as a Yankee, including a 4.91 mark in 2018.
His Achilles Heel was his new home, as Yankee Stadium became a house of horrors as Gray’s ERA swelled to a dizzying 6.98 in 11 starts. That included 11 home runs in 59.1 innings of work.
Away from the Bronx, though, Gray was still an effective pitcher as he went 7-5 with a 3.17 ERA with just three round-trippers allowed in 12 starts.
The Reds will be hoping that Gray can make his away performances consistent all the time, but Great American Ballpark is just as famous for being a hitter-friendly park, which could be a disaster in the making. It’s worth noting though that Gray has a history with Cincinnati’s new pitching coach Derek Johnson as the two worked together at Vanderbilt University.
Should the Reds complete the deal and extend Gray, it will continue an aggressive offseason that has seen them acquire the likes of Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp while also being connected with big-name stars like Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber.
