The New York Yankees might soon upgrade not only their pitching rotation, but their lineup as well.
A report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com on Tuesday indicated that the Yankees might be close to adding Oakland Athletics right hander Sonny Gray as well as first baseman Yonder Alonso.
“Multiple sources indicated Tuesday that the Yankees were making progress toward a deal with Oakland, which could send not only Gray — who was slated to start for the A’s on Tuesday in Toronto — but also first baseman Yonder Alonso to New York.
Gray has already made his start on Tuesday. So, the idea that he might get scratched and traded before the game is gone. Still, that doesn’t mean that a trade couldn’t happen before the July 31 deadline.
Gray is someone that will help the Yankees not only this year, but also in the future.
The Oakland right hander entered Tuesday’s start against the Toronto Blue Jays with a 3.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 8.4 K/9 ratio. He also has two more arbitration years before becoming a free agent in 2020.
New York’s starters rank 10th in MLB with a 4.21 ERA. That’s certainly not bad, but it doesn’t stack up to teams like the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians — all of whom are potential playoff opponents. The Yankees will also be without starter Michael Pineda for not only the rest of 2017, but most (if not all) of 2018.
Meanwhile, Alonso is a perfect fit to not only be traded from Oakland, but dealt to New York.
He was an All-Star in 2017 and entered Tuesday’s game at .264/.363/.535 with 21 home runs. So the A’s would certainly be selling high. He’a also a free agent at the end of the year and Oakland’s M.O. has traditionally been to get value for players not likely to return anyway.
Additionally, the Yankees are one of baseball’s few contending teams with a real hole at first base. New York’s first basemen have slashed at .216/.301/.402 with 14 home runs in 2017 — all of which rank in the bottom five in baseball. Being a free agent, Alonso would be a perfect bridge to the team’s presumed first baseman of the future, Greg Bird.
Of course, the Yankees are a good trading partner for the A’s, as well.
New York has one of baseball’s best farm systems and is particularly deep with outfielders, a source of weakness for Oakland. Alonso and Gray could bring back a haul of prospects and young players that the Athletics are looking for as they build to what will hopefully be a new stadium in the near future.