Less than 48 hours from the non-waiver trade deadline, some clarity on the starting pitching front is beginning to surface. Whereas the Detroit Tigers are unlikely to trade Justin Verlander, the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics are expected to move Yu Darvish and Sonny Gray, respectively.
Several teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, have been connected to both Darvish and Gray. Though, reports now peg the New York Yankees as the frontrunners to trade for Gray. Los Angeles is also said to have interest in Miami Marlins right-hander Dan Straily.
The Dodgers reportedly view Straily as a backup option to Darvish and Gray. While that may hold true, a potential trade for Straily would not necessarily come at a lower cost, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball:
While the Miami Marlins still have low-paid pitcher Dan Straily on the trade market, the word is the price is enormous. It’s a “Sonny Gray type price,” said a rival executive with a National League team.
Like Gray, the 28-year-old Straily is under team control beyond this year. He’s not eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season.
Straily isn’t necessarily of the same talent as Gray, but has enjoyed some success in his first season with the Marlins. Straily has made 21 starts, going 7-6 with a 3.84 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.19 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 117.1 innings.
Over parts of six seasons in the Majors, he’s 34-27 with a 4.16 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Straily debuted with the Athletics in 2012 and remained with the team into the 2014 season. His time in Oakland overlaps with that of Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi.
There have been conflicting reports Saturday, with one suggesting the Dodgers were looking for a “bargain” trade, while another indicated the club in no particular order has Zach Britton, Darvish and Gray as their top three targets
