Athletics' Gray: Trade deadline 'can't get here soon enough'
TORONTO - It's evident in Sonny Gray's eyes and in his voice that the rumors leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline are weighing heavily on him.
The American League West basement-dwelling Oakland Athletics will be sellers over the next seven days, and Gray is baseball's most wanted.
While being highly coveted is no doubt flattering, coping with the stress of the unknown over the past month hasn't been easy for the 27-year-old.
"One way or the other, the deadline, for me, can't get here soon enough," Gray told theScore in the visitors' clubhouse at Rogers Centre on Monday.
In the last month, the right-hander has been linked to the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesota Twins. Although trade speculation is nothing new for Gray, it doesn't make it any easier for him to deal with. As the July 31 deadline approaches, it doesn't appear he has a preference in what happens, but would rather receive a resolution.
In recent weeks Gray has had to accept the fact that things are out of his control, and to just go out and pitch to the best of his ability. When the front office tandem of Billy Beane and David Forst finally decide his fate, they'll let him know.
"You understand what's going on, you understand everything that happens," Gray said. "When it's your turn to pitch, it's your turn to pitch. Until something, or if something happens, then what can you do? So for me, that's the way I go about it.
"People think they know what's going on, but nobody does. A select group of people actually have any say, so that's the way for me. Nobody knows what Billy and David are thinking other than Billy and David, so why would I get emotionally invested or invested in any way when its all just hearsay. If something's going to happen there's nothing I can do about it."
Even though it's been difficult to avoid the questions from the media and the rumors on social media every day, when Gray leaves the ballpark, the speculation doesn't go with him.
"We don't talk about it," he said of dealing with trade rumors at home. "I told my mom, I told the people close to me that it's not something I want to talk about, so nobody does. At the beginning - a month ago - I would get a lot of texts and a lot of calls from family, but after that kind of happened, anyone that I'm close with, or has a direct affect on my life they don't talk about it."