THE SONNY GRAY SAGA IS ABOUT TO END

Source: NESN

Word on the street is that the Sonny Gray deal is going to drop this weekend, shipping out the 29-year-old pitcher who just could not hack it in the Bronx.  According to Jon Heyman via a post on CBS New York, Cincinnati is the front runner of this trade.

Source: Reds Minor Leagues

"Catcher Tyler Stephenson and Second baseman Shed Long (Cincinnati’s sixth and seventh-best prospects according to MLB.com) are the names rumored to be in a proposed package for Gray."  CBS also reports, "along with the Reds, the Braves, Brewers, Giants, and Padres are all said to still be in the mix for Yankees’ expendable starter."  At the time of this post, the Reds and Yankees appear to have reached an agreement to ship Gray to Cincinnati for a draft pick and Long as reported by Fox Sports New York last night. Apparently, Stephenson will not be part of the deal. Honestly, whatever we are able to recover as a result of unloading Gray is fine with me.  He's better off going somewhere else where he could potentially be successful.

Fans, loyal readers... let's all pause and breathe out a collective sigh of relief.  The Sonny Gray nightmare is over and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I haven't been this relieved since Brian Cashman dumped Tyler Clippard in July 2017, ending that nightmare stint in New York. Ironically, this is just about the time we picked up Gray.  When one door closes, another one opens...didn't work out quite that well for the Yankees.

"The right-hander seemed to implode in every single appearance in the Bronx, pitching to a miserable 6.98 ERA at home. He would eventually be demoted to the bottom of the Yankee bullpen as GM Brian Cashman opted to trade for Lance Lynn rather than give the ball back to Gray," reported CBS. Implode is describing his performances lightly.  Recall how anxious we all got when it was Gray's turn in the rotation. My disgusted face re-appeared often this past season, even a few days before he was expected to take the hill.

As we approach just under three weeks until pitchers and catchers report, let's hope that the storms don't hold back Gray catching a plane and getting out of town to join his new team in time for the upcoming workouts.  No hard feelings, Sonny. It's just time for everyone to move on.  The Sonny Gray Saga is about to end...and that's just one less thing to worry about.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof