The Milwaukee Brewers have joined the list of potential trade suitors for Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.
It’s not news that Sonny is likely to be traded this summer, as Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle pointed out weeks ago. He’s a top player who will start getting expensive over the next few years, and the A’s are in the part of their competitive cycle where they sell current stars for future prospects. The biggest question remaining is where he might go, and what Oakland can get in return.
To this point, the biggest rumors have involved the Astros (link), but also receiving mention have been the Braves (link) as well as the Cubs, Blue Jays, Mariners, and Red Sox (Slusser link). Those teams represent a mixture of contenders looking for an extra push toward October (Astros, Cubs, Red Sox) and also-rans gearing up early for 2018.
Now the Brewers have reportedly entered the conversation. The surprise contenders sit atop the NL Central with a 48-40 record, but they’d be wise to upgrade their good-not-great rotation if they wish to stay there.
Like the A’s they are a low-budget team, so acquiring a long-term cost-controlled star makes a lot of sense for Milwaukee this summer. Sonny could help them make the most of a contention opportunity they can’t ignore, but even if they ultimately fall short of the postseason in 2017 they won’t have blown their whole wad because he’s not a two-month rental. In other words, if they don’t acquire another quality starter like Sonny at the deadline, then it’ll presumably just be a top item on their offseason to-do list anyway. Sonny is under team control through the end of 2019.
This July figures to be busy for the A’s, just like the last couple have been. In addition to Sonny, there will likely be rumors involving hitters Yonder Alonso and Jed Lowrie, as well as reliever Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. Keep checking back all month for more as the stories develop!
