The Pittsburgh Pirates Should Pursue Sonny Gray

The New York Yankees may be looking to trade a struggling starting pitcher. If they do, Neal Huntington should give Brian Cashman a phone call

The New York Yankees are well on their way to the postseason. Despite this, there are rumblings that they may be looking to trade one of their starting pitchers. The starting pitcher they are rumored to be floating in trade talks is righty Sonny Gray.

If the Yankees are indeed shopping Gray, then Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington needs to pick up the phone and give Brian Cashman a call. Not only can Gray help the Pirates pursue a Wild Card berth this season, but he also comes with two more years of team control.

Gray’s overall numbers this season are not pretty. In 19 starts Gray has allowed 12 home runs in 96 innings pitched (1.13 HR/9), he owns a 9.8% walk rate, a 21.2% strikeout rate, and he owns a 5.34 ERA and a 4.42 FIP.

Most of Gray’s issues stem from his home ballpark. He, of course, pitches his home games in one of the most hitter friendly parks in the American League – Yankee Stadium.

As you can see, Gray has been a substantially better pitcher on the road this season. Moving to PNC Park would be a boost for Gray, as would moving to the National League where there is no designated hitter. He has also continued to induce soft contact this season. In fact, Gray’s 16.9% soft contact rate is better than his soft contact rates in 2016 or 2017. Right now, he is a pitcher being victimized by Yankee Stadium.

The pitcher Gray has been on the road this season is closer to the pitcher he was during the first five seasons of his MLB career. Entering the season Gray owned a 3.45 ERA and a 3.67 FIP in 123 starts.

Gray has proven he is much, much better than the pitcher he has been at Yankee Stadium in 2018. He appears to be a pitcher in dire need of a change of scenery.

The Pirate rotation has settled into having a strong top three of Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove, and Nick Kingham. However, this is the first full MLB season for all three of these pitchers. Due to this, it would not be a surprise to see them hit a wall at some point in late August or September.

Behind these three the rotation is shaky at best. Ivan Nova is inconsistent, Trevor Williams has not pitched well this season, Chad Kuhl is hurt, and the Pirates find themselves with no starting pitching depth.

Next: Pirate Mailbag: July 23, 2018

If the Bucs are going to approach the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline as buyers, which is seemingly more likely by the day, then the team needs to target starting pitching help. If the Yankees are shopping Sonny Gray, then he is the perfect starting pitcher for the Pirates to target. Not only would he help the rotation now, but he could also be a part of the Pirate rotation in 2019 and 2020 as well.