Yankees trade Sonny Gray to the Reds, also acquire CF prospect from Mariners

The Yankees have traded RHP Sonny Gray to the Reds in exchange for 2B prospect Shed Long and a 2019 competitive balance pick. They then traded Long to the Seattle Mariners for CF prospect Josh Stowers.

Alas! We finally got the news that we have been waiting for since Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman, bluntly opened up at the club’s end of the season press conference at Yankee Stadium.

Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the 29-year-old Gray, and LHP prospect Reiver Sanmartin have been traded to the Reds. Throughout the offseason, Cincinnati looked like the most logical landing spot because of their need for starting pitching and Gray’s connection to their new pitching coach Derek Johnson who coached him in college at Vanderbilt.

Cashman has been waiting for the right trade to pull the trigger, and with almost three weeks to go until spring training they finally got the offer they were looking for. The Reds gave Gray an extension so he will be under the Red’s control for four years. He’ll be paid $30.5 million for three years until 2022; then there’s a club option for 2023.  If the Reds exercise the option, it’ll be for $12 million.

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Sonny is already making $7.5 million in the 2019 season with his one year contract left over from the Yankees. I’m glad this is finally over with, and Gray will get the chance to turn his career around away from the bright lights on New York City and Yankee Stadium.

Site Co-Expert of Yanks Go Yard, Mike Calendrillo, tweeted that the Yankees trading Gray opens a roster spot for the recently signed Adam Ottavino on the 40-man roster. It also brought them Stowers a second-round pick by Seattle in last year’s draft who has the tools to become an every day CF in the big leagues someday. He’ll still have to conquer the lower levels of the minor leagues but adding him gives the Yanks a position player with serious potential which is something they lack a lot of throughout their farm system.

Now the question remains: Does this mark the last big offseason by Cashman or does he have more moves to make? We’ll have to wait and see.