MLB Trades: Five bold predictions for the 2020 season
Predicting Five Bold MLB Trades
Colorado Rockies send Jon Gray to the Padres
The San Diego Padres have made their intentions clear that they are looking to take the next step out of their rebuild and begin to compete. They first made this clear when they made one of the biggest splashes of the 2018 offseason by signing Manny Machado to a 10-year/$300 million contract. Paired with their wealth of young talent, they might be closer to contention than some may think.
However, they must address their starting pitching problems. While Chris Paddack and Joey Lucchesi have emerged as formidable starters in their rookie seasons, the Padres’ rotation severely lacks quality, proven major league veterans. They have been connected to about every starting pitcher on the free-agent market, especially San Diego native Stephen Strasburg.
However, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres are not serious contenders for Strasburg or fellow California native Gerrit Cole, who are undoubtedly the top two starters on the market. Apparently the asking price is too high, and general manager A.J. Preller is looking into more economically-friendly options.
Well, there might be another right-handed starter on the trade market that can fit perfectly into the Padres’ offseason plan. That would be 28-year-old Jon Gray of the Colorado Rockies. Gray was one of the names that drew a ton of interest from front office officials during winter meetings. The Rockies severely underperformed in 2019, finishing with 71 wins, while having a franchise-record payroll. Thus, they are looking to unload some of that payroll, and Gray will help them do so.
Gray, a former 3rd-overall pick, has been inconsistent throughout his five-year MLB career. However, he showed signs of his elite talent last year. In 25 starts, he posted a 3.84 ERA with 150 strikeouts in 150 innings. He is owed $5.6 million in 2020 before being eligible for arbitration in 2021. Therefore, he could be a perfect solution for the Padres’ starting pitching woes.
Obviously, the Padres would need to do more with their rotation to become legitimate contenders. But adding Jon Gray is a good, relatively low-cost start.