Red Sox reportedly interested in pursuing Sonny Gray

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, the Red Sox are targeting Sonny Gray again.

That the Red Sox are targeting Sonny Gray again is far from groundbreaking information. For the past couple seasons, the two parties have been linked in rumors, though nothing has come to fruition.

In a new report by Jeff Passan, the Red Sox sent “some of their most respected evaluators” to watch Gray’s last two starts. Gray is likely to be the most sought after trade piece over the coming month, so there’s the chance that the Red Sox are simply doing their due diligence in scouting him. There’s also the chance that they’re looking to bolster their rotation for a deep run and see him as the best chance of doing so.

Even though Doug Fister was added last week and looked alright in his season debut on Sunday, Gray would be an undeniable upgrade over the 33-year-old sinkerballer. Fister replaced Eduardo Rodriguez in the rotation, who is expected back by the All-Star break. With the number of injuries the Red Sox have incurred this season, it wouldn’t be surprising if he saw more time as a starter down the stretch – but he’s far from a long-term option.

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Gray, however, presents a more appealing solution to the team’s depth needs.

At 27-years-old with roughly three years of team control remaining, it makes sense that the Red Sox are once again interested in adding the Athletics pitcher. In his first three seasons in the big leagues, he logged a 2.88 ERA in 491 innings and looked to be one of the game’s future superstars. But since the start of the 2016 season, that shine has faded. Gray posted a 5.69 ERA last year and owns a 4.45 mark through 11 starts this season.

Still, there is upside in adding a young, cost-controlled arm with a history of success. His 3.60 FIP and 9.0 K/9 indicate that he has more to give than a mid-four ERA. Compared to the Red Sox rotation outside Chris Sale, that would be a welcomed addition.

Then there’s the added benefit of taking away from your competition. Included in Passan’s report is the fact that the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Chicago Cubs have also shown interest in Gray. The Red Sox and Yankees are poised to battle for every inch in the American League East, while the Astros and Cubs are strong candidates to find themselves in the World Series come October. It might be worthwhile just to disrupt their plans.

Passan also notes that there’s a strong sense that the Red Sox could look to third base and the bullpen before making a move for a starter. This corroborates last week’s report that the club is looking to make a ‘major upgrade’ at third but again doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know.

It’s common knowledge that the Red Sox need to make a move to fix their problems at third base. Pablo Sandoval has been relegated to Triple-A for at least a month while the team decides what to do with him and his albatross of a contract. That means a combination of Deven Marrero and Tzu-Wei Lin (called up in place of the injured Josh Rutledge) will start at the hot corner and while both are an upgrade over Sandoval, neither can provide more than replacement level value.

So yeah, everyone in baseball knows the Red Sox are going to be looking for a third baseman between now and the August 1 non-waiver deadline. Until they actually make a move, all we’re going to hear about for the next month is how the Red Sox are ‘in the market for a power bat at third.’

Next: Doug Fister's Red Sox debut

As for Sonny Gray, if Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski really is keen on him, this might be the time the two parties actually come together. If there’s one thing Dobrowski has proven during his tenure, is that when he sets his eyes on a player, he lands him – no matter the cost. It happened with Craig Kimbrel, David Price, Carson Smith, and Tyler Thornburg. Why not Sonny Gray?

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