Report: Reds remain active in trade discussions for Gray, Stroman
The Cincinnati Reds are continuing their relentless pursuit for starting pitching at the winter meetings.
Cincinnati remains active in trade discussions with the New York Yankees about Sonny Gray and with the Toronto Blue Jays for Marcus Stroman, sources told MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
The Reds have also been linked to Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians but believe there's a better chance of acquiring Gray or Stroman, Morosi adds.
In mid-November, a report claimed the Reds had discussed Gray with the Yankees, a pitcher New York GM Brian Cashman said in October he was open to trading.
The 29-year-old Gray struggled for the Yankees last season, posting a 4.90 ERA in 30 appearances, 23 of which were starts. Most of the damage done against the right-hander came at Yankee Stadium, where his ERA was 6.98 compared to his road ERA of 3.17.
Also of note, Gray's pitching coach at Vanderbilt University, Derek Johnson, joined the Reds at the end of October.
The 2015 Cy Young finalist is eligible for free agency at the end of 2019, and is projected to earn $9.1 million through arbitration.
Stroman is a ground-ball specialist who'd fit in well with the Reds and their hitter-friendly ballpark.
Despite posting a career-high 5.54 ERA last season, the 27-year-old right-hander allowed just nine home runs in 102 1/3 innings.
Before 2018, Stroman tossed 200-plus innings in consecutive seasons and finished eighth for the American League Cy Young in 2017.
He's eligible for free agency at the end of 2020 and is projected to earn $7.2 million through arbitration in 2019.