LA Angels: 3 blockbuster trade ideas that would put LA in contention

Sonny Gray

Sonny Gray is somewhat of a Major League Baseball anomaly. He has been so high up and so far down in the dumps in his career, a career arc that most players observe only on the basis of age. At 31 years old, Gray had the privilege of working with the Driveline Baseball gurus of the Reds’ front office, revitalizing his career.

He was excellent last season as the co-ace to free agent Trevor Bauer, posting a 3.05 FIP across 56 innings of work. Gray was once a consensus ace for the Oakland A’s and then lost his luster. He was shipped to the New York Yankees where he was a dud in 2017 and 2018. After that, the Cincinnati Reds took a chance on him as a reclamation project and given their pitching development department, it’s no surprise he was made whole again.

As recently reported, the Reds are looking to deal Gray this off-season. The Angels should be first to act on him. Gray would immediately step into one of the top two slots in the rotation and provide somewhat of an anchor for the staff. Gray does have an injury history, but that hasn’t plagued him in recent seasons. The Reds want to deal him, so the Angels would have some leverage in negotiations to get a potential ace on a small contract figure. Gray won’t be a free agent until 2024.

A potential trade for Gray could look like this:

Angels receive: Sonny Gray

Reds receive: Jordyn Adams (#3 prospect), Arol Vera (#6 prospect), Jeremiah Jackson (#7 prospect)