Sherman: Reds are “working hard” to trade right-hander Sonny Gray

[WrongVerb]

Rumors: Sonny Gray on trade block

Dec. 4: According to MLB Network insider Joel Sherman in an article for the New York Post, the Reds are “working hard” to trade right-hander Sonny Gray.

Fellow MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reported for The Athletic (subscription required) last month that the Reds were open to moving Gray, but it wasn’t clear at that point if they were actively shopping him or simply gauging the market.

With the Reds likely to lose Trevor Bauer via free agency, it’s surprising that Gray is on the block. The 31-year-old is signed to a relatively inexpensive deal that will pay him $20 million over 2021-22, and he has posted a 3.07 ERA with a 10.8 K/9 rate in two seasons with Cincinnati.

Per Sherman’s story, the Reds continue to inquire about free-agent starting pitchers even as they discuss Gray in trades. The team is also "prioritizing the addition" of a starting shortstop and considering trade candidates Francisco Lindor and Trevor Story as well as free agents Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons, sources told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi.

[Mitri]

I'm not sure if this isn't the same information from last week with Sherman just projecting that the Reds are "working hard". The Post is a garbage publication, so I'll go with that until I see a report or tweet from a respectable source.

Also LOL at the Reds trading Gray for Rosario. How do these guys keep their jobs?

[Coopdaddy67]

It makes absolutely no sense to add a SS if they're going to trade Gray. If they trade Gray, then they damn well better trade Castillo too, because going all-in on a rebuild is the only choice at that point. Then you see what you can get for Moustakas, Castellanos, Suarez, etc. If you aren't getting good enough offers, cross your fingers, hope they have monster 1st half and cash in at the deadline.

I have no clue what the Reds are going to do this offseason, but I'm expecting the worst. At least that way I can't be disappointed.

[Wonderful Monds]

It seems the Reds are working very hard to end my interest in this team. I’m right on the edge, and after all the BS with the non-tenders, if they pull this nonsense move, I will be forever done with this loser ass franchise.

[Ron Madden]

Bobby Nightengale
@nightengalejr
The #Reds aren't rebuilding or tearing down their roster, but Wednesday's cuts showed they don't have much payroll flexibility and that'll be the challenge for GM Nick Krall.

cicinnati.com

[757690]

cicinnati.com

I trust Bob Nightengale much more than I trust Joel Sherman.

[redsman2007]

Trading Gray sure doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Love what Johnson, Boddy and company have been doing but let's not go crazy. We still have to have some pitchers on staff. Losing 3/5 of the rotation is not a good plan imo.

Maybe they think Gray is losing it? He sure seemed fine to me last year though. I guess I'd just have to get a great deal to want to move him but I don't look for that to happen if we're "working hard" to move him.

[RedTeamGo!]

Sherman is a hack.

With that said, let’s remember Gray is 31. If the reds get blown away by an offer (like the Rays did with Archer) it may be dumb to say no.

[BillDoran]

It's hard to understand how offloading one of the club's best contracts would be a smart financial move.

[kaldaniels]

It might not be a smart financial move. Could be a good baseball move.

He is a 31 year old pitcher who is coming off a great few years yet he battled back issues this year. Sounds like a sell high to me.

We’ve probably seen the best of Sonny. He has a favorable contract.

Why not test the waters and try to get a haul? Like a real haul.

If they dump him for scraps of course I’d be mad.

[Ron Madden]

I asked Krall about the Gray rumors. He downplayed its significance.
"We've had multiple conversations with every team, agents for free agents, all that stuff, and you're just trying to figure out what is out there, how can you make your team the best," Krall said. "We've had hits on just about every player on our roster. Some guys have had 15 hits from different clubs and people ask about it. You're going to ask about it because you want to know, at least, who is available, who is not available and what the landscape of that market looks like.

"Whether you're doing something or not is a whole different ballgame. I think that's where we have to take a step back and look at this and say, 'OK, let's see what is available, let's see what is not available and then let's figure out what makes the most sense for our team moving forward.'"

Krall and former baseball operations president Dick Williams have long maintained there are no "untouchable" players. But, obviously, there are levels of seriousness. There's no harm in listening and I don't expect Gray to go anywhere.

Besides having a 3.07 ERA over 42 starts in two seasons for the Reds, Gray has two years and over $20 million left on his contract. He's also emerged as a clubhouse leader. That's been good value for Cincinnati and all reasons why he will stay.

https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/reds-o...or-2021-season

[BillDoran]

It might not be a smart financial move. Could be a good baseball move.

He is a 31 year old pitcher who is coming off a great few years yet he battled back issues this year. Sounds like a sell high to me.

We’ve probably seen the best of Sonny. He has a favorable contract.

Why not test the waters and try to get a haul? Like a real haul.

If they dump him for scraps of course I’d be mad.

Like I get that his value in a trade is in large part his contract.

But I don't understand how you jettison your two best starting pitchers and hope to compete. Given the non-tender situation, it's clear they're not going to be big spenders this offseason.

Can you trade away your best pitcher at the height of his value and get more in return? Of course. Are the Reds the organization that does that? Nope. Not in the last 25 years.

Getting a really strong sense that the Reds are going to stay payroll neutral, find a stop-gap SS and throw a bunch of crap at the wall in the bullpen. They're going to hope like hell the bats perform this year and bet on Johnson/Boddy pulling more rabbits out of their hats.

Which is to say, it's gonna be a classic Reds offseason. Feint at getting some stars. Grab a couple headlines. Sign low-grade free agents. Acknowledge financial constraints. Tell Fay you weren't enamored with the market. Tell Sheldon you like your guys. Add a new beer stand to the concourse. Run the same team out as last year, expect different results.

[TexasRedsFan]

Assuming it's not to start another rebuild, the only sense I could make of them trading Gray now is if they actually think they have a shot at Bauer and are pondering how big a truck they could back up for him.

[kaldaniels]

Like I get that his value in a trade is in large part his contract.

But I don't understand how you jettison your two best starting pitchers and hope to compete. Given the non-tender situation, it's clear they're not going to be big spenders this offseason.

Can you trade away your best pitcher at the height of his value and get more in return? Of course. Are the Reds the organization that does that? Nope. Not in the last 25 years.

Getting a really strong sense that the Reds are going to stay payroll neutral, find a stop-gap SS and throw a bunch of crap at the wall in the bullpen. They're going to hope like hell the bats perform this year and bet on Johnson/Boddy pulling more rabbits out of their hats.

Which is to say, it's gonna be a classic Reds offseason. Feint at getting some stars. Grab a couple headlines. Sign low-grade free agents. Acknowledge financial constraints. Tell Fay you weren't enamored with the market. Tell Sheldon you like your guys. Add a new beer stand to the concourse. Run the same team out as last year, expect different results.

You lost me at the remark that the Reds are jettisoning Bauer.

[BillDoran]

Assuming it's not to start another rebuild, the only sense I could make of them trading Gray now is if they actually think they have a shot at Bauer and are pondering how big a truck they could back up for him.

A sedan would probably do.