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Atlanta Braves: Why it Makes Zero Sense to Trade for Sonny Gray

By Jake Mastroianni

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 11: Sonny Gray #55 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of the game on September 11, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 11: Sonny Gray #55 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of the game on September 11, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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There aren’t many rumors about the Atlanta Braves right now, but the one name that keeps popping up is the New York Yankee’s Sonny Gray.

One of the top priorities this off-season for the Atlanta Braves was to find an ace to put atop the starting rotation to help guide all of their young starters.

Sonny Gray in no way fits that billing.

In my opinion, there are only three pitchers currently available that make sense for the Atlanta Braves, and that’s Corey Kluber, Dallas Keuchel, and Madison Bumgarner.

I don’t really don’t understand why Sonny Gray’s name keeps getting tied to the Atlanta Braves.

‘Was’ versus ‘Is’

He was an All-Star in 2015 when he posted a 2.73 ERA in 208 innings pitched with 169 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.08.

Since then he’s posted ERAs of 5.69, 3.55, and 4.90, while throwing no more than 162.1 innings in any of those three years.

Baseball Reference projects Gray to have an ERA of 4.40 in 2019 in just 137 innings with 128 strikeouts.

That certainly isn’t the ace-type pitcher that the Atlanta Braves need in 2019. In fact, I think they have plenty of young pitchers who could come up and outperform Gray this season.

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The ONLY reason that it might make sense to get Gray is if he comes at a cheap price. If the Braves could get him for a couple of mid-level prospects, then maybe you go for it and hope Gray has a bounce-back/bounce-back season.

I could also see them giving up a struggling prospect like Luiz Gohara who could probably use a change of scenery, but I even would be hesitant to make that deal.

The most likely scenario right now is that the Braves go into the regular season with the starting pitchers they have.

In my opinion, it makes a lot more sense to give some of these young pitchers a chance to prove what they can do at the major league level rather than give up a prospect for a rebuilding project in Sonny Gray.

Next. What if the Atlanta Braves do Nothing Else This Offseason?. dark

Hopefully, we stop seeing these ridiculous rumors that the Braves are interested in Gray because that is not the solution for this team in 2019.

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