San Francisco Giants Rumors: Five potential Bay-bound trade options
By Paul Ashley
The New York Yankees are currently looking to trade a starting pitcher that is very familiar with the Bay Area. Although his former team is looking to trade him, he has the capability of performing at a very high level next season.
Sonny Gray currently has one year of team control remaining and the New York Yankees are ready to move him out of their rotation prior to the 2019 season. As players often perform at their highest level prior to reaching free agency, Gray could be a phenomenal addition for the Giants.
Gray compiled an 11-9 record in 30 games (23 starts) for the Yankees last season. Through 130.1 innings pitched, he put together a 4.90 ERA, a 4.17 FIP, and a 1.496 WHIP. All of these numbers were well above his career averages in these categories (3.66 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.247 WHIP).
However, as he performed very well outside of the Bronx last season, he will be an attractive trade chip for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. For example, in 15 games pitched on the road, Gray held a 3.17 ERA and a 1.155 WHIP. In 15 games pitched at Yankees Stadium, Gray held a 6.98 ERA and a 1.904 WHIP.
As his road numbers were closer to his career averages than his awful home numbers were, Gray could be a perfect rotation upgrade for the Giants. If the Giants are able to find an upgrade at second base (such as the aforementioned Merrifield), Panik could also be an intriguing piece to send out in order to acquire Gray.
With Didi Gregorius recently undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Yankees will be in search of a middle infield replacement in order to give him ample time to recover. Acquiring Panik for second base would allow the Yankees to move Gleyber Torres to his natural position of shortstop while Gregorius is out of action.
Similar to Gray, Panik could benefit from a change of scenery as he also looks to bounce back from a forgettable 2018 performance. As Panik provided very little production for the Giants last season, it would be worth the risk of swapping him for Gray in order to improve the rotation.
A return to the rotation in 2019 seems unlikely for Cueto after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, so the Giants should be aggressive in an attempt to obtain Gray from the Yankees. Even though Gray is entering his final season of team control, he is only projected to receive $6.6 million in salary arbitration, which could help the Giants with payroll flexibility in order to make further upgrades to the roster.