Cleveland Indians: Is a Sonny Gray trade a very real possibility?

The Cleveland Indians could be on the verge of acquiring a pitcher they just faced.

Teams cannot have enough pitching, especially during the playoffs. The Cleveland Indians understands that and any and all upgrades should be considered. On Friday, they lost to pitcher Sonny Gray and the Oakland A’s 5-0.

Prior to the game, there was speculation he could have been dealt.

Well, that did not happen, but Gray could still end up out of Oakland and one team to keep an eye on is the Tribe according to ESPN‘s Buster Olney.

Had Cleveland’s rotation been healthy last fall, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Indians would have won the World Series. Given the haul that the Chicago Cubs had to give up to the Chicago White Sox for starter Jose Quintana, acquiring Gray is likely going to be steep.

Would Cleveland really consider making another deadline trade? In fact, they should and if the front office feels that Gray is the missing piece, then make the trade despite any hesitant feelings.

I am all in on Gray should Cleveland trade for him. I wish Gray was a lefty, but as arguably the best option on the market, one cannot be too picky.

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According to baseball-reference.com, Gray is signed through 2017 with arbitration starting as soon as 2018, before potentially becoming a free agent in 2020. In addition, the A’s starter is 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and a 1.157 WHIP in 2017.

Cleveland gave up top prospects P Justus Sheffield and OF Clint Frazier to the New York Yankees last year for reliever Andrew Miller. Hopefully, whatever Cleveland would have to give up does not include catcher Francisco Mejia or pitcher Tristan McKenzie.

So, who would I be open to seeing being moved? I would hope Oakland has some level of interest in outfielder Tyler Naquin to starty.

Ideally, I’d like to give up additional sub-par players too such as outfielder Brandon Guyer and reliever Bryan Shaw. However, Naquin, Guyer, and Shaw are all just add-ons.

How a likely trade would get done involves members of the Tribe’s minor league pitching staffs. Whether its a package headlined by Shawn Morimando or a pitcher in a lower level of ball like Brady Aiken, at least one pitcher should be expected in all offers.

Other names that are worth keeping an eye who could be dealt in potential trades are OFs Greg Allen and Will Benson, as well as 3B Nolan Jones. It appears unlikely Gray has a future in Oakland past this season, so moving on from him makes a lot of sense.

That said, Cleveland must be comfortable giving up what is needed while making sure the trade package doesn’t limit the minors’ talent. Even if Gray does not end up with Cleveland, some sort of move should happen.

Next: Second half Tribe predictions

With that in mind, if the Indians are able to land Gray, then a lot of their issues will be resolved heading into the dog days of summer and the postseason. Believe it or not, but acquiring Gray could become reality soon.