Call to the pen
Fansided

Where the New York Yankees could ship Sonny Gray this offseason

By Nick Reid

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Sonny Gray #55 of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on April 25, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Sonny Gray #55 of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on April 25, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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New York Yankees
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 09: Joe Pannik #12 of the San Francisco Giants runs out to warm up for the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at AT&T Park on August 9, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Team #2: San Francisco Giants

While the Brewers are a small-market team that has outperformed expectations this year, the San Francisco Giants are a large-market club that ultimately flopped in 2018. The Giants had the 2nd-highest payroll of all big league teams this season, yet finished 4th in the NL West with a 73-89 record.

San Fran’s starting rotation struggles were primarily due to bad injury luck, as Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Jeff Samardzjia combined for just 40 starts. However, even if healthy next season, there is no guarantee those pitchers are as good as they once were; neither MadBum, 29, nor Cueto, 33, have pitched a full season since 2016, and the Shark looks washed up. Dereck Rodriguez had a nice rookie campaign this season, but the Giants’ rotation is far from settled heading into the offseason. That’s clear when 32-year old journeyman Derek Holland leads the team in starts.

With that being said, Gray would be a relative sure thing amidst a pitching staff full of uncertainties. The Giants’ rotation had trouble missing bats this year, which is something Gray does well, and a return to the Bay Area would do the Vanderbilt product some good. He yielded just 0.8 HR/9 with the Athletics, and baseballs have trouble leaving the yard at the spacious AT&T park in San Francisco. Amidst the rotation’s struggles, the Giants gave up the fewest long balls at home in the senior circuit.

For players whom the Giants could offer to the Yankees in exchange for Gray, second baseman Joe Panik fits the profile. The Yonkers, NY native played only 102 games this season due to injury, which affected his numbers after posting a .288 batting average and .768 OPS in ’17. Panik is also defensively sound at second base, where he won a NL Gold Glove award in 2016 and made this CLUTCH double play flip in the ’14 World Series.

Losing Panik would force the Giants to find a new second baseman, with Alen Hansen and Kelby Tomlinson serving as internal replacement options, but acquiring Gray in the deal would make the tradeoff worth it.

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