Report: Red Sox interested in Sonny Gray

The Boston Red Sox are eyeing starting pitching, with a young right-hander firmly on their radar.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Red Sox have been scouting Oakland Athletics starter Sonny Gray and maintain serious interest in him. It is unclear if this is a top priority — the Red Sox would doubtlessly prefer to avoid giving up prospects when they’ve already invested in putting Chris Sale, David Price, and Rick Porcello into their rotation — but it sounds like there is, at minimum, clear interest.

Gray is coming off a down 2016 and while his 4.45 ERA isn’t much to look at, his strikeouts are up and his peripheral numbers indicate a better pitcher than his ERA would indicate.

With the Athletics out of contention and Gray rebuilding some of his trade value, Gray figures to be moved before the July 31 deadline. Boston will face lots of competition, including potentially another major AL contender, if they want to land him.