MLB trade rumor grade: Sonny Gray to the Dodgers?

Sonny Gray is getting traded before Monday afternoon. That much has all but been decided by now. Teams as far reaching as the Yankees, Brewers, Astros, Mariners, and Braves have been connected to the A’s star but where he will most likely end up seems to shift every day.

While he has been connected to the Dodgers through various rumors during the past week, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi is now saying that the Dodgers are “increasingly confident” that they will end up with either Yu Darvish, Justin Verlander, or Sonny Gray before all is said and done.

Of those three options, Gray is currently the most likely to be traded to someone over the weekend (if not sooner). So we’re here to figure out how realistic it is that he could be heading down the coast from Oakland to LA.

What the A’s would gain from trading Sonny Gray

As has already been discussed many times over, the A’s want to trade Sonny Gray. He’s out of there. They’re going to get a good return for him, and it’s only the size of that return that is up for debate at this point.

Trading him to the Dodgers would work out nicely for Oakland, especially when taking stock of its other potential trade partners and what they could offer. The Yankees could provide what they are looking for as their crop of young prospects is enough to

stack up against the Dodgers’. But compared to, say, the Mariners, LA is way out front with the prospects it has on offer.

With young talent like Willie Calhoun, Alex Verdugo, Walker Buehler, and Yadier Alvarez available, the A’s would be smart to partner with the Dodgers and capitalize on that talent for their rebuilding process.

What the Dodgers would gain from trading for Sonny Gray

While it was likely before this development, the Dodgers are now definitely looking for starting pitching support now that Clayton Kershaw is once again dealing with a back injury that could derail him for longer than they hope.

They could feasibly trade for any of their three current targets without giving up more prospects than they want to right now, but if they’re going to part with any of the young talent noted above it would be preferable for them to do so for a player who could help them for more than just the next few months.

Gray is only 27 years old and is under team control until after 2019, with a salary of less than $4 million. Compared to shipping out too many assets for Darvish (who is a free agent after this season) or for Verlander (who is making seven times the amount of money Gray is right now), it makes more sense for them to give some of their treasure trove away to the A’s than to anyone else.

On the other hand, the Dodgers don’t necessarily need immediate help in their rotation. They’re up 12.5 games in the division and can weather Kershaw’s recovery timetable. What they do need and want is someone in their rotation who strikes fear in the heart of playoff opponents.

While Gray could always further evolve into that, Darvish is definitely that right now. Is getting Gray for longer than this season worth giving up Darvish’s shut-down pitching for the playoffs that this team is definitely participating in?

Rumor grade:

This is an A- trade rumor. It makes a lot of sense that the Dodgers would be eyeing Gray for starting pitching help, because anyone with brains who needs a starter is eyeing Gray. They have the prospects to give up in exchange, and should be happy to do so for a player they can control for the next few years.

However, while Gray can help them for at least the next few years, he might not be precisely what they are looking for in the next few months. The division is locked up, the playoffs are happening, and now they have to figure out who is most worth it based on their goals this season.

Gray may be the more likely option once Darvish is off the table, but he’s not off the table yet. So right now, that’s the grade this rumor gets.