Sorry, Boston Red Sox fans, but it looks as though you’ll have to keep dreaming about Sonny Gray joining the rotation.
The 25-year-old Oakland Athletics starter was selected one spot ahead of Boston’s pick in the 2011 draft, and it’s been speculated whether the Red Sox would try to make a trade for Gray since he moved up to the bigs in 2013. But A’s executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane told Peter Gammons recently that Gray, who went 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA in 2015, is not for sale.
“Trading Gray is not something I think we could do,” Beane said. “We have to put a representative product on the field, and continue to dream we get a ballpark. We should have good pitching, with Gray, Jarrod Parker, Kendall Graveman, Jesse Hahn, Chris Bassitt, maybe Sean Manaea during the season. I just cannot see us trading Gray or (Josh) Reddick.”
However, Beane changing his mind for the right price isn’t entirely unbelievable. The A’s said the same thing about Josh Donaldson last season, and now he’s an American League MVP candidate for the Toronto Blue Jays. But Gammons said the better question is whether Oakland can afford to keep Gray long-term.
“Good question, but I think so,” Beane said. “I look at the way the market is going and realize the teams with the money are going to spend it on free agent pitching rather than trading three or four top prospects. Good young players are worth too much today.”
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
