Seattle Mariners Rumors: M’s reportedly ‘in’ on Sonny Gray

As the Mariners look to fill out their roster for the 2019 season, it appears they’re visiting the trade market in search of adding a high-upside veteran pitcher coming off a bad year.

With the addition of James Paxton, and potential acquisitions of Noah Syndergaard and J.A. Happ on the horizon, the Yankees have made it clear that Sonny Gray is no longer a part of their plans. Well, they actually made it pretty clear when Brian Cashman alluded to being “open-minded” about dealing Gray this Winter.

Gray, who finished third in AL Cy Young voting in 2015, has struggled to adjust the predominantly hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium after being acquired by New York at the 2017 trade deadline. In that time, Gray has a 3.05 FIP outside of Yankee Stadium, but that number skyrockets to a 6.06 FIP when pitching in pinstripes.

The 29-year-old righty’s struggles last season landed him in a bullpen role, in which he made seven appearances towards the end of the season. Gray, however, is better suited as a starter and could thrive with an opportunity elsewhere.

Earlier this afternoon, Fancred’s Jon Heyman reported that the Mariners are one of four teams, perhaps more, that are in on the Gray discussions. With just a year left on his contract, it’s easy to be confused as to why the Mariners would be interested in his services, provided how insistent they’ve been on rebuilding in 2019 to compete in 2021 and beyond.

In actuality, it makes a ton of sense for the Mariners moving forward, if the price is right. If Gray were to land in a more pitcher-friendly park in Seattle, a stadium in which he’s pitched very well in, he could reasonably return to a dominant level in 2019. That, in turn, would boost his trade value to the point where the Mariners could double, or even triple their return come July.

Simply put, Gray would be an investment opportunity.

It’s also possible that the Mariners could keep Gray for the entire season and attach a qualifying offer to him next offseason, giving them an opportunity to acquire a significant compensatory pick if he signs elsewhere. He’s also relatively young and would fit the M’s window of contention, so re-signing him certainly wouldn’t be out of the question.

But again, it’s all dependent on the asking price. The Yankees reportedly asked the Reds for top prospect Taylor Trammell when discussing Gray, to which Cincinnati obviously said no. Even if the Yankees go a notch or two down from that on their price, that’ll still be too rich for many teams, let alone the Mariners. But if Seattle could work something out revolving around Carlos Santana and cash, they’ll jump all over it. Big “if,” though.