Sonny Gray (Photo : Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The Houston Astros have been one of the busiest teams in the MLB this offseason. However, it seems like the Astros are not done making moves as they are currently linked with Oakland Athletics ace, Sonny Gray.
Some of the major moves the Astros made this offseason included trading for catcher Brian McCann from the New York Yankees. They have also signed free agents Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick and Charlie Morton.
However, the Houston front office wants to solidify its rotation with a big time starter. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Astros have remained in contact with the Athletics as they wait if Gray will become available or not.
Oakland is known for trading star players when they are close to becoming expensive, per CBS Sports. Gray is still three years away from free agency and he recently signed a one-year $3.58 million deal. The Athletics can surely afford it which makes it difficult for them to trade Gray.
On the other hand, the Astros could always convince Billy Bean to trade the 27-year-old right-hander. Houston has one of the most loaded farm systems in baseballs that include Francis Martes, Kyle Tucker, Forrest Whitley, David Paulino, Derek Fisher, Daz Cameron, Colin Moran, Teoscar Hernandez, Franklin Perez and Miguelangel Sierra.
Gray's value at the moment is low because of his subpar season last year. He is coming off a rough season after posting a 5-11 record with 5.69 ERA while battling several injuries. Nevertheless, he is just a year removed from coming in third in the AL Cy Young voting when he posted a 14-7 record with a 2.73 ERA.
The Athletics could hold off any deal for Gray at the moment since they might want to improve his value in the 2017 MLB season. As long as he stays healthy, Gray is one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball.
As for the Astros, they have also been linked with Jose Quintana of the Chicago White Sox. It should be noted that these are just purely speculative at the moment but expect more rumors heading into Spring Training.
Check out the video below to watch Gray pitch a one-hitter last January 2015 against the Texas Rangers.
