Report: Twins monitoring market for Sonny Gray
The Minnesota Twins are reportedly close to finalizing a deal to bring veteran left-hander Jaime Garcia to the Twin Cities, but it appears the front office has its eyes on another starter as well.
Minnesota is monitoring the market for Oakland Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune.
The 27-year-old Gray has become an increasingly popular target for several teams interested in adding an established arm to their rotation, which also includes the New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, and Chicago Cubs.
Related: Athletics have named asking price from Yankees for Gray
If the Twins do indeed acquire Gray he'd slot into their rotation alongside some combination of All-Star Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Adalberto Mejia, Bartolo Colon, and Jose Berrios. Factor in the potential move for Garcia and Minnesota would boast a solid rotation in its pursuit of an AL Central title.
Gray is in the midst of a turnaround season after struggling in 2016. He currently owns a 3.66 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through 15 starts, while walking 2.8 and striking out 8.4 hitters per nine innings.
The former first-round draft pick finished third in Cy Young voting in 2015 and is under team control until 2020.
He's set to earn the remainder of a $3.575-million salary this season and is eligible for arbitration next year.