According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, multiple sources suggest the Yankees are closing in on a trade for Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray and first baseman Yonder Alonso.
The trade may not happen tonight, however.
Not surprised Sonny Gray is making his start in Toronto. Though sources say Yankees are making progress, they didn’t expect a deal tonight.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2017
As was reported previously, the A’s seem focused on acquiring a young center fielder, and Yankees no.5 prospect Estevan Florial fits the bill.
Gray, 27, is rebounding nicely from a disastrous 2016 in which he went 5-11 with a 5.69 ERA and spent considerable time on the disabled list. This year, he suffered a strained lat in spring training but returned in May and has pitched well and looked healthy ever since.
The Yankees hope Gray can return to being the pitcher he was in 2015, when he went 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA in 208 innings en route to a third place finish in the Cy Young race. Gray will undergo arbitration for the first time next season, meaning he’s under team control through 2020.
Alonso, 30, is having a career year at the plate, hitting .264/.363/.535 with 21 home runs and 45 RBI. He earned his first All-Star nod and has been rumored to be on the Yankees radar for months. Even though they already acquired Todd Frazier and moved Chase Headley to first base, Alonso would be a clear upgrade over both players and the Yankees’ best first baseman not named Greg Bird. Like Frazier, Alonso will be a free agent at the end of the year, so he’d likely only be a two month rental.
Stay tuned for updates.
