The Cincinnati Reds are looking to rebuild after four consecutive seasons with 68 or less wins, and they apparently feel that bolstering their starting rotation is a great place to begin.
Jon Heyman of Fancred sports reports that the Reds have been in contact with the Seattle Mariners about James Paxton, the New York Yankees about Sonny Gray and the Cleveland Indians about both Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. The main focus for Cincinnati is Paxton and Gray, according to Heyman. However, the Reds are said to be hesitant about dealing top prospects.
While Gray may be the cheapest of the aforementioned options, Jon Morosi of MLB Network notes that the Yankees could ask for Cincinnati’s top shortstop prospect in any potential trade.
As #Yankees and #Reds discuss a Sonny Gray trade, one would expect Yankees to ask for Cincinnati’s top shortstop prospect, given injury to Didi Gregorius. His name: Jeter Downs. (Alas, Jeter spent this year in the Midwest League and probably isn’t ready to fill in at @MLB level.)
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 16, 2018
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has openly admitted that the team plans to trade Gray, but that does not mean they’re going to just give him away. Gray struggled in New York, but he had a proven track record prior to that. Multiple teams are interested in adding the right-hander.
If the Reds decide Paxton is their top choice, it sounds like they will have plenty of competition from the top teams in the American League.
