Report: Yankees Trade Sonny Gray to Cincinnati Reds, Expected to Sign Extension
The New York Yankees have traded starting pitcher Sonny Gray and reliever Reiver Sanmartin to the Cincinnati Reds, ESPN's Jeff Pasan reported on Monday.
Gray was expected to hit free agency after the 2019 season but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that he will sign an extension as part of a condition of his trade to the Reds. The extension is exected to be for three years and $30.5 million on top of the $7.5 million salary for the upcoming year and $12 million club option for 2023. It totals out to four guaranteed seasons and five years of control max at $50 million, Passan reports.
The Yankees will recieve second base prospect Shed Long as part of the deal, according to Passan. Long was the No. 8-ranked prospect in the Reds' minot league system in 2018, according to MLB.com. In Double-A, he hit .261 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs in 126 games.
New York will send Long to the Seattle Mariners for minor-league outfielder Josh Stowers.
In 2018, Gray finished the season with a 4.90 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings pitched. His struggles last season got him removed from the Yankees' rotation and demoted to the bullpen. The move came one day after Gray gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings to the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 1. New York had recently traded for pitchers J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays and Lance Lynn from the Minnesota Twins to improve their starting rotation.
The Yankees acquired Gray on July 31, 2017 from the Oakland Athletics just one hour before the non-waiver trade deadline. He posted a 3.72 ERA in his 11 starts in pinstripes after the trade.
