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Sonny Gray is still a Yankee as 2019 approaches, and it could mean one of three things

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(Adam Glanzman/Getty)

Against all odds, Sonny Gray remains with the Yankees as New Years approaches. Brian Cashman all but shouted from the rooftops (multiple times, at that) that Gray would be traded this offseason, yet he’s still a Yankee, even after the team addressed their rotation needs with J.A. Happ, James Paxton, and CC Sabathia. I can’t say I expected Gray to still be with the team on December 26th.

There have been no shortage of Sonny Gray trade rumors this offseason. Here’s a quick recap of we’ve seen and heard about the veteran righty these last few weeks:

“As far as Sonny Gray, (we) continue to assess all options with him,” assistant GM Mike Fishman said the George King on the final day of the Winter Meetings. “There are various opportunities to consider, different types of deals that are being offered. We are weighing all our needs, both now and future needs and prospects and Major League pieces and what holes we can fill on the Major League roster.”

You needn’t try hard to see Gray as a strong bounceback candidate. His stuff is more than fine — his velocity and spin rates and everything else are as good as ever — and, since joining the Yankees, he has a 6.55 ERA (6.06 FIP) in 88 innings at Yankee Stadium and a 2.84 ERA (3.05 FIP) in 107.2 innings on the road. Gray’s been an ace on the road and a disaster at home. Add in his age (29) and pre-Yankees track record and you’ve got a great buy-low candidate.

Despite all of that, meaning Cashman’s trade declarations and the eleven interested teams and Gray’s status as a buy-low player, Sonny remains with the Yankees. I honestly thought trading him would be one of the first moves the Yankees made this offseason. Instead, it’s shaping up to be one of the last. There are three possible reasons why Gray is still a Yankee.

1. They haven’t found the right deal. This seems most likely to me. The Yankees want to trade Gray — maybe not want to, but resigned to it at this point — but they’re not going to give him away either. They have a trade chip with legitimate value and they want to make sure they cash it in appropriately. So they’re taking their time. Spring Training is not for another seven weeks or so. What’s the rush?

2. They’re having second thoughts. Maybe keeping Gray as a swingman/sixth starter isn’t such a bad idea? There are reasons to keep him around. James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka are known to visit the disabled list from time to time, CC Sabathia just had an angioplasty, and Jordan Montgomery is not due back until midseason. Yeah, he’s had issues at Yankee Stadium, but Gray is a viable MLB starter, and the Yankees may’ve decided he’s a better depth option than Domingo German or Luis Cessa or Chance Adams or whoever. And hey, the GM dumping on you all offseason could be a great motivator. Sonny will have a chip on his shoulder next year no matter what uniform he’s wearing.

3. They totally botched it. Cashman’s public declarations backfired and now teams are lowballing the Yankees. “You don’t want Gray and need to clear his projected $9.1M salary to do other stuff, so we’ll take him off your hands, but we’re not giving you much in return.” That sorta thing. Definitely possible! I don’t think this is the case though. Too many teams are involved and there seems to be something of a bidding war. That’s why Cashman made those comments about Gray. Because he knew plenty of teams would want him anyway. He wouldn’t have said those things otherwise.

* * *

I didn’t expect Gray to still be a Yankee on December 26th but I do still believe he’s going to traded at some point. It seems like they’ve reached the point of no return. The frustration was almost palpable every time Cashman, Aaron Boone, and Larry Rothschild were asked about Gray this past season. They’ve tried to get him straightened out and it hasn’t happened, and they seem ready to move on.

Coming into the offseason, I thought the Brewers were the best trade match for Gray. Now it seems things have shifted to the Reds. They recently picked up two rental starters in Tanner Roark and Alex Wood, and their new pitching coach Derek Johnson was Gray’s pitching coach at Vanderbilt, which can’t hurt. Cincinnati is going for it — I commend them that for that, even if they are only going from 67 wins to 82 wins or whatever — and Sonny could be their next target.

No matter where he winds up, it still seems inevitable the Yankees will trade Sonny Gray at some point before Spring Training. The relationship appears to be beyond repair. I’m just not sure anyone thought it would take that long. It could be the Yankees screwed it up with their public comments, or it could be they’ve decided to keep him. Most likely, they’re just taking their time and making sure they get the best deal since there’s no reason to rush at this point of the offseason.

Hot Stove Rumors: Machado, Tulowitzki, Miller, Kikuchi, Gray

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“You want us to add how many zeroes to our offer???” (Mike Zarrilli/Getty)

The Winter Meetings are over but the hot stove marches on. The Yankees are still looking for a middle infielder and two relievers, plus general depth. “I got a lot of lines out and we are still fishing. We are going to try to catch a very particular type of fish in very particular categories. We will bring the boat back to dock and send her out tomorrow and drop our lines again,” said Brian Cashman to George King last week. Here are the latest hot stove rumblings.

Machado will visit Yankees on Wednesday

Manny Machado will visit the Yankees on Wednesday, reports George King. He’ll reportedly visit the White Sox and Phillies at some point this week as well. Machado will be the second free agent to visit the Yankees this offseason (that we know about), joining Patrick Corbin. Corbin inked a six-year deal with the Nationals a few days after touring Yankee Stadium. I don’t get the sense Machado will sign as quickly after the face-to-face meetings as Corbin, but who knows.

Hal Steinbrenner has made it clear Machado needs to explain the non-hustle thing before the Yankees would consider signing him, but seriously, what answer could Machado give that’s satisfactory? I doubt “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” will cut it. To me, Hal’s comments are little more than a great sound bite to placate the portion of the fan base that obsesses over this stuff. The Yankees value Machado at X and they will sign him if he agrees to X (or something less than X), not if he says the right things at the meeting Wednesday. End of story.

Yankees will “monitor” Tulowitzki’s progress

According to Nick Cafardo, the Yankees will “monitor” free agent infielder Troy Tulowitzki’s progress as he works his way back from dual heel surgeries. The Blue Jays released Tulowitzki with two years and $38M remaining on his contract last week. Any team can now sign him for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum. Six teams, including the Cubs, are after Tulo, report Susan Slusser and Jon Heyman.

Tulowitzki, 34, has not played since July 2017 due to a variety of injuries. He hit .249/.300/.378 (79 wRC+) with crummy defensive numbers in 66 games in 2017. Reports indicate Tulowitzki has recovered from his heel surgeries and is working out, and is willing to play second or third base. He’s going to hold a showcase at some point, apparently. I’m not against bringing Tulowitzki in as a low-cost flier. Does it make sense for the Yankees to guarantee him the type of playing time it’ll probably take to sign him though? Eh. Debatable.

Cashman met with Miller’s agent

Brian Cashman met with Mark Rodgers, Andrew Miller’s agent, at some point his offseason, reports Kristie Ackert. My guess is it was at the Winter Meetings last week. (Cashman met with Adam Ottavino’s agent last week.) The Yankees reviewed Miller’s medicals earlier this winter, which is a) not unusual for a free agent, and b) more than a formality given his injury problems this past season (hamstring, knee, shoulder). That they reviewed the medicals and still have interest suggests they feel good about things.

Sorry Andrew. (Abbie Parr/Getty)

The Cardinals, Mets, and Phillies are among the teams that are said to have interest in Miller this offseason and the free agent reliever floodgates may open now that Jeurys Familia and Joe Kelly have signed. Familia got three years and $30M and Miller wouldn’t be wrong to seek a larger contract. Three years is really pushing it at this point giving the knee problems that span multiple seasons. Perhaps Miller would be open to returning to New York on a higher priced two-year deal? I guess the more relevant question is whether the Yankees are open to a higher priced short-term contract, or would they tack on that extra year to get a lower luxury tax hit? I guess we’ll find out.

Kikuchi to begin meeting with teams this week

Yusei Kikuchi traveled to Los Angeles this past weekend and will begin meeting with interested teams in the coming days, report the Kyodo News and Sports Nippon. “(I) will narrow down the choices after hearing the opinions of my agent and Japanese staff,” he said, adding he will “of course” be open to joining any of the 30 teams. Kikuchi is a Scott Boras client and it sounds like the bulk of meetings will take place at Boras’ Southern California office.

Last week Brian Cashman admitted the Yankees scouted Kikuchi “extensively” and said he’s discussed the 27-year-old southpaw with Boras. That was before the Yankees re-signed J.A. Happ, however, so it’s unclear whether the Yankees will meet with Kikuchi and make a serious attempt to sign him. It could be they’re done with their rotation and will now move on to other things. Here’s everything you need to know about Kikuchi. I’d be totally cool with pursuing him and going into next season with a six-man or modified six-man rotation until someone gets hurt, which will happen because it always happens.

Yankees still evaluating Gray’s market

In the latest Sonny Gray non-update, George King reports the Yankees are still evaluating the trade market for the right-hander. “As far as Sonny Gray, (we) continue to assess all options with him. There are various opportunities to consider, different types of deals that are being offered. We are weighing all our needs, both now and future needs and prospects and Major League pieces and what holes we can fill on the Major League roster,” said assistant GM Mike Fishman.

Last week it was reported eleven teams initially showed interest in Gray, and the Yankees have since whittled the list down to a handful of serious suitors. The asking price is said to be high — the Yankees asked the Reds for top prospect Taylor Trammell — though I imagine it’ll come down soon enough. Now that J.A. Happ has returned and the Yankees have their five starters in place, their efforts to move Gray could pick up steam. His projected $9.1M salary is a nice chunk of change the Yankees could use to address needs elsewhere on the roster.

2018 Winter Meetings Rumors Thread: Thursday

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Come on Yankees please. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)

The final day of the 2018 Winter Meetings has arrived. These last few days have been pretty boring, huh? There haven’t been any blockbusters and even the rumors have been slow by Winter Meetings standards. (Please trade J.T. Realmuto already. I’m sick of hearing about him.) I guess that’s what happens when half the league is rebuilding and the other half decided to get under the luxury tax threshold at the same time in what was surely one big coincidence (wink wink nudge nudge).

As for the Yankees, they agreed to re-sign lefty J.A. Happ yesterday following a quick tryst with Noah Syndergaard earlier in the week. Happ gets two years and $34M or so with a vesting option. I can live with it. Aside from that, we’ve heard the Yankees connected to guys like Freddy Galvis, Adam Ottavino, and Zach Britton as they look to bolster their bullpen and replace the injured Didi Gregorius. Bullpen help and an infielder are the top priorities now.

“We try to promote we are a progressive, open-minded operation, that every day is different and that we are prepared to pivot and react at any moment,” said Cashman to Bryan Hoch. “If something doesn’t make sense today, it doesn’t mean it won’t make sense tomorrow. All I can keep telling you is, you know where my current focuses are, but at the same time we’re a fully operational Death Star.”

Cashman knows the Death Star got blown up, right? Anyway, the Rule 5 Draft is at 12pm ET today and everyone pretty much heads home after that, so the Winter Meetings are pretty much over. I’m sure some news and rumors and will trickle in though. Here are Monday’s rumors, Tuesday’s rumors, and Wednesday’s rumors, and here are today’s Yankees-related rumors. All timestamps are Eastern Time.

  • 5:32pm: The Yankees are open to adding another starter even after re-signing J.A. Happ, though there is little optimism for a Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer trade with the Indians. I figured that was the case even before the Happ deal. [Marc Carig]
  • 5:29pm: The reliever market “is starting to move” and the Yankees are talking to free agents and potential trade partners, according to assistant GM Mike Fishman. Jeurys Familia (Mets) and Joe Kelly (Dodgers) signed late last night, so the bullpen floodgates should open soon.  [Bryan Hoch]
  • 10:02am: The Yankees have asked about “high-end Major League talent” in Sonny Gray trade talks and that is apparently why he has not yet been traded. I have no problem with that. The Yankees (probably) won’t get that high-end talent, but ask for the moon and adjust down as necessary. You never know, some team just might be willing to meet that big initial asking price. Scott Kazmir, Victor Zambrano, etc. etc. [George King]
  • 9:30am: Thanks to Gleyber Torres’ versatility, the Yankees are not prioritizing a shortstop or a second baseman while searching for a Didi Gregorius replacement. They want the best player regardless of position. “The best decision possible, whatever it happens to be. Clearly, it’s a very deep amount of opportunities in the second base market rather than shortstop. So we’ll just have to decide,” said Brian Cashman. [Brendan Kuty]

2018 Winter Meetings Rumors Thread: Wednesday

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Yankees pls. (Rob Carr/Getty)

The Winter Meetings are two days old and thus far the Yankees have been mentioned in one potential blockbuster, a three-team trade that would bring Noah Syndergaard to the Bronx, but that seems like a long shot. It always did. The Mets trading three years of Syndergaard to get two years of J.T. Realmuto doesn’t add up. The Yankees will (probably) have to come up with a starting pitcher another way.

“We have our comfort levels and if and whenever we do match up on the trade or free agent front, then we’ll have something to show for it, but there’s no guarantee that will happen anytime soon,” said Brian Cashman to Pete Caldera. “(A deal) could happen today. We’re very active. But at the same time, we’re disciplined about what we’re willing to do and what we’re not willing to do.”

In addition to the Syndergaard thing, we’ve learned the Yankees are open to trading Miguel Andujar, still have interest in Zach Britton, and will meet with Manny Machado and Bryce Harper at some point. The Harper meeting will take place during the Winter Meetings because he lives in Las Vegas. Machado will come visit the Yankees in New York. No moves so far this week but lots of chatter.

Here are Monday’s rumors and Tuesday’s rumors. Today is the final full day of the Winter Meetings — everyone will head home after the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow — so, if the Yankees are going to get a deal done in Las Vegas, it’ll probably happen today. Anyway, here are today’s Yankees-related rumors. This post will be updated throughout the day so check back often. All timestamps are Eastern Time:

  • 7:07pm: Well, forget about a Lance Lynn reunion. The Rangers gave him a three-year deal worth $30M, according to multiple reports. Imagine?
  • 5:31pm: “I’ve never heard the Yankees say (they’re out on Bryce Harper). It might be that they say things to you. I wasn’t there,” said Scott Boras today. Keep in mind Boras wants everyone to think the Yankees are in on Harper even if they’re not. [Ken Davidoff]
  • 3:20pm: The Yankees remain in “active discussions” with the Reds about Sonny Gray. Cincinnati seems to be connected to everyone this winter, including Corey Kluber. [Jon Morosi]
  • 3:18pm: The Yankees have discussed trade possibilities with the Indians regarding their starting pitchers. There is no traction at the moment because the asking price is quite high. [Marc Carig]
  • 2:00pm: The Yankees have been in contact with Freddy Galvis‘ representatives. He’s an excellent defender with double-digit homer power but poor on-base skills (career .290 OBP). Obviously the Yankees are considering him as a potential Didi Gregorius replacement. [Joel Sherman]
  • 11:14am: In addition to J.A. Happ, the Yankees are in the mix for Lance Lynn. I would be perfectly fine with Lynn as a long man/sixth starter type. As the Opening Day fifth starter? Nah. Seems like there’s enough interest in Lynn that he’ll get a rotation spot elsewhere and not have to settle for a swingman role with the Yankees. [Mark Feinsand]
  • 9:56am: The Yankees have not yet given any thought to signing Troy Tulowitzki. The Blue Jays released Tulowitzki with two years and $38M remaining on his contract yesterday, so any team can sign him for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum. Tulowitzki did not play at all this past season due to heel trouble but he’s recovered and is working out this winter. [Brendan Kuty]
  • 9:43am: Brian Cashman met with Adam Ottavino‘s agent last night. He is believed to be high on their wish list. Ottavino grew up in Brooklyn but I wouldn’t put much stock into the hometown thing. Money is usually the determining factor in free agency. [Joel Sherman]
  • 9:30am: The Phillies are believed to be inching closer to a deal with J.A. Happ, who is holding out for a three-year contract. “They are bringing it,” said one executive. The Yankees have interest in a reunion with Happ but thus far have been unwilling to offer a third year. [George King]
  • 9:30am: Internally, it was “never even much of a debate” for the Yankees to chase J.T. Realmuto. They value Gary Sanchez highly and he has four years of team control remaining whereas Realmuto only has two. [Joel Sherman]

2018 Winter Meetings Rumors Thread: Tuesday

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(Mike Stobe/Getty)

Day One of the Winter Meetings came and went yesterday without much activity. The were two small signings (Billy Hamilton to the Reds, Tyson Ross to the Tigers) and several waiver claims. That’s about it. There were plenty of rumors, of course, and the Yankees were involved in a few of ’em. Brian Cashman admitted he’s been in touch with Manny Machado’s and Yusei Kikuchi’s agents, plus we learned the Yankees aren’t comfortable with a three-year deal for J.A. Happ. Can’t say I am either.

“The operation that George (Steinbrenner) was able to operate and navigate through is nowhere close to the one that Hal Steinbrenner has to operate and navigate through,” Cashman said to Ronald Blum. “It’s a convenient, easy story to write about us being different than the Boss’s Yankees, but the game’s completely different, too, And I think we’ve been operating in a different capacity because it’s a whole new world order.”

Late last night word got out the Yankees are discussing a three-team trade with the Mets and Marlins that would put Noah Syndergaard in pinstripes. J.T. Realmuto would go to Queens and I assume the Yankees would send prospects to Miami. A trade this complicated is always a long shot — surely the Mets have other ways to get Realmuto without giving up Syndergaard, right? — and that goes double when there’s a Yankees-Mets element involved. This would be pretty rad though.

Anyway, here are Monday’s rumors. We’ll again keep track of all the day’s Yankees-related rumblings right here in this post, so make sure you check back often. Remember, the Winter Meetings are in Las Vegas this year. It might take a little while before everyone on the West Coast wakes up and starts feeding rumors and hot stove news to us East Coasters. All timestamps are Eastern Time. Here’s the latest on Day Two of the Winter Meetings:

  • 7:23pm: Brian Cashman confirmed that pretty much every player on the roster has been asked about in trades this offseason except Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. No one has the guts to ask about Judge, eh? There were some bad contract-for-bad-contract swap talks involving Jacoby Ellsbury. “Money laundering,” Cashman called it. [Bryan Hoch]
  • 4:35pm: The Yankees are one of three teams Manny Machado will visit, presumably after the Winter Meetings. It’s the Yankees, Phillies, and White Sox. Some #MysteryTeams are reportedly involved as well. [Jon Heyman]
  • 4:32pm: Three-team trade talks between the Yankees, Mets, and Marlins are not progressing. The Mets are still pursuing J.T. Realmuto but it sounds they’re looking for ways to get it done without trading one of the best pitchers in baseball. [Jon Morosi]
  • 11:46am: There’s a scenario in which the Yankees trade for J.T. Realmuto, have him split time at catcher and DH with Gary Sanchez, and move Giancarlo Stanton to the outfield. This strikes me as a “hey, Mets, if you don’t do this three-team deal soon we’re just going to keep Realmuto for ourselves” bluff, but we’ll see. [Joel Sherman]
  • 11:41am: The Yankees remain interested in a reunion with Zach Britton. The expectation is his market will begin “narrowing down” by the end of the Winter Meetings, so nothing is imminent. Britton has said he’d like to return to the Yankees. [Brendan Kuty]
  • 11:32am: J.A. Happ has several two-year offers in hand and is still looking for a third year. He’s indicated he’ll sign with the first team that offers that third guaranteed year. It’s been reported the Yankees won’t go there. [Jeff Passan]
  • 10:55am: The Yankees are open to moving Miguel Andujar. That would make sense in the construct of this Syndergaard-Realmuto three-team trade. In theory, the Yankees could trade Andujar to a pitcher and then sign Manny Machado. [Ken Rosenthal]
  • 9:30am: The Yankees and Reds had a “little talk” about second baseman Scooter Gennett. The left-handed hitting Gennett would be close to the ideal replacement for Didi Gregorius. The Reds want to trade him too, apparently. [Jon Heyman, Ken Rosenthal]
  • 9:30am: Eleven teams initially showed interest in Sonny Gray and the Yankees have now pared the list down and are focusing on trade talks with a select few teams. “We haven’t found the sweet spot yet,” said Brian Cashman. [Joel Sherman]

Staying Sonny in the Bronx: A Case for Keeping Sonny Gray

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(USA Today)

In a season four episode of “Mad Men,” the principal characters’ firm is about to go under thanks to the exit of a big account. When confronted with this, they have to put up a personal stake as collateral for the bank. Upon telling this to his wife, Pete (played by Vincent Kartheiser) gets the following response from his wife, Trudy (played by Alison Brie), “You bet big and lose, you don’t double down.” It’s likely sound advice, but, just for today, I’m proposing the Yankees go against it and making a case for keeping Sonny Gray around.

The Yankees bet (fairly) big to bring Gray to the Bronx at the trade deadline in 2017, trading away prospects Dustin Fowler, Jorge Mateo, and James Kaprielian to the A’s. Gray was good down the stretch in 2017, but was an absolute disaster in 2018. He was such a disaster that Brian Cashman has publicly stated the team’s desire to trade him and done so rather bluntly. The only thing offsetting just how bad 2018 was for Gray is the fact that the players for whom he was acquired didn’t fare too well either. Fowler was inconsistent with the As; Mateo is floundering in the minors; and Kaprielian hasn’t pitched in two years.

For full disclosure’s sake, I’m not totally into the idea I’m pitching here (pardon the pun). But with the Yankees missing out on Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi (on whom I wasn’t too high anyway) and me not being enamored with the other options, I’m just spitballing here. Cost-wise, keeping Gray is a fine move. He’s cheap as a third year arbitration guy, his $9.1M projected salary lower than the price of a free agent’s AAV. And since he’s already on the team, he obviously doesn’t cost any prospects like a trade would. Given how (annoyingly) cost-conscious the Yankees have been lately, this might appeal to them. There’s also room for improvement on Gray’s part.

In his career, Gray has been good more often than he’s been bad. And last year, he was way more bad than he had been before, enough that it might be fluky and there’s some rebound potential. His BABIP in 2018 was .326, the highest he’s ever given up and 42 points higher than his career norm. His home run numbers were also off from his career trends, but that’s likely a product of being in Yankee Stadium full time instead of the Coliseum in Oakland.

On a pitch-by-pitch basis, his slider in 2018 was not the pitch it’s been for his career, generating fewer ground balls than normal. This gets fleshed out in his pitch values as well, with even the pitches that were positive for him this year being worse than normal per 100 pitches.

On more of a surface level, Gray’s ERA was 4.90 (113 ERA-…ERA+ but in reverse), but his FIP–4.17–was better than average (94 FIP-). Granted, his DRA at Baseball Prospectus was a 5.00, signalling he may have been closer to the 4.90 than the 4.17.

Again, I’ll admit to all of this being mostly a stretch. It’s likely best for the Yankees and Gray if they’re parted by a trade. But part of me thinks there’s no way Gray could be as bad as he was in 2018 again. Part of me thinks that his true talent level is too good and, paired with the talents of Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and James Paxton, that could make one hell of a rotation, especially with CC Sabathia anchoring the back. The likelihood of that, though, is near infinitesimal.

Hot Stove Rumors: Eovaldi, Lynn, Happ, Soria, Gray, Brewers

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Eovaldi. (Harry How/Getty)

Patrick Corbin is a Washington National and Paul Goldschmidt is a St. Louis Cardinal. He’s been traded for four players and a draft pick. Despite their first base situation, the Yankees were never seriously connected to Goldschmidt this winter. Anyway, here are the latest hot stove rumblings as the Yankees shift gears following the Corbin news.

Eovaldi, Lynn among Plan B’s

Now that Corbin is off the board, the Yankees are “engaged” with Nathan Eovaldi and Lance Lynn as potential Plan B rotation options, reports Mark Feinsand. J.A. Happ is also in that group, of course. A week or two ago we heard the Yankees were not among the early suitors for Eovaldi, but this stuff can change in a hurry. For what it’s worth, Joel Sherman says the Yankees are hesitant to reunite with Eovaldi if it takes four years.

I’ve said all I have to say about Eovaldi. Good dude and I hope he gets paid, but I am a hard pass on an enigmatic two-time Tommy John surgery guy who succeeds with max effort velocity. Happ is fine and nothing more in my opinion. Re-signing him would be okay but underwhelming. Lynn? Blah. He had a 4.41 ERA (2.17 FIP) in 54.1 innings with the Yankees this past season — the low FIP is the result of an unsustainably low homer rate (0.33 HR/9 and 4.5% HR/FB) — and I guess he could fit as a swingman. As a full-time starter though? Not interested.

Yankees have interest in Soria

According to Jesse Sanchez, the Yankees are among the teams with interest in veteran reliever Joakim Soria. They’re said to want two relievers to replace David Robertson and Zach Britton. Soria is still only 34 — I would’ve guessed he’s 37 or 38 by now — and this past season he had a 3.12 ERA (2.43 FIP) with a 29.4% strikeout rate in 60.2 innings for the White Sox and Brewers. He was still throwing fastballs by dudes in October too. The stuff remains pretty lively.

The Yankees have been connected to Soria a bunch of times over the years though they never have acquired him. This would not qualify as a sexy pickup, I know, but I’d be cool with signing Soria to a one-year deal or even a lower cost two-year contract. He’d be what, the fourth best reliever in the bullpen? Maybe fifth? He’s fine in that role. Soria is still effective and he’s wily as hell (his new thing is changing arm slots) and he has experience in every relief role imaginable.

Yankees, Brewers have talked Gray

Add another team to the Sonny Gray trade rumor mill. Jon Morosi reports the Yankees have spoken to the Brewers about Gray. Morosi also reiterates the Padres’ interest in Gray and says they’re having “ongoing discussions” with the Yankees. Eleven teams are reportedly in on Sonny and we know eight of them: Brewers, Padres, Mariners, Athletics, Reds, Braves, Rangers, and Twins. There are still three Mystery Teams™ out there.

I’m surprised Gray has not been traded yet but I guess it makes sense for the Yankees to hang on to him until they acquire another starter, even though it seems they’re beyond the point of no return given Brian Cashman’s comments this offseason. Bottom line, if there are truly eleven teams in on Gray — or even just three or four teams — the Yankees are going to get something nifty for him. Not a star prospect or anything, but something better than nothing, which is what you might normally expect for a guy who had as poor a season as Sonny just did.