Blue Jays: Beyond Bauer- Top five rotation options remaining

Call the Reds anyway

When rumours started circulating that the Yankees were closing in on a deal for Luis Castillo, social media went nuts. So much so that the Reds came out and threw water on the idea, making a statement that they weren’t going to trade their ace.

That doesn’t mean they won’t trade a top-tier starter though, and I still think that Sonny Gray pitches in a new uniform in 2021. Could he be a fit in Toronto? For me it’s all about what the Reds want in return, but there’s no denying that he’d be an upgrade.

Gray was solid during the short 2020 season, posting a 3.70 ERA and a 1.214 WHIP over 11 starts and 56 innings. The year before he was sensational though, making the All-Star team with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.084 WHIP over 31 starts and 175.1 innings. That’s ace-level production, it’s just hard to know what to expect from, especially after his last tenure in the AL East with the Yankees didn’t go so well.

Still, he’s very appealing because his talent also comes with affordable contract control. According to spotrac.com, he has a base salary of 20.2 million over the next two seasons, including for 2023 at 12 million. His deal also comes with a trade bonus, and some escalators for things like Cy Young, innings pitched, and All-Star appearances. Still, even if he kicked in all of the extras, he’s a tremendous bargain.

For the Blue Jays it will all come down to cost. Perhaps they could also take back another player like Mike Moustakas and his expensive deal, but that could also fill the vacancy at third base with a decent option. There’s a deal that could make sense here, and I’m sure the Blue Jays have at least called to inquire.