Pitcher Sonny Gray Joins The Reds

The offseason news in Major League baseball continues to heat up as the Cincinnati Reds add more quality pitching to their 2019 rotation.

MLB.com reports:

The Reds continued the overhaul of their rotation by acquiring right-hander Sonny Gray in a trade with the Yankees on Monday. Gray signed a three-year, $30.5 million contract extension through 2022, with a $12 million club option for '23.

Also going to the Reds is Minor League left-hander Reiver Sanmartin. The Yankees received second-base prospect Shed Long and a 2019 Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick from Cincinnati. New York immediately dealt Long to the Mariners for outfield prospect Josh Stowers.

With Gray already signed to a one-year, $7.5 million contract that avoided arbitration for 2019, he's set to earn $38 million over the next four years. His new deal contains salary escalators and bonuses.

"Conceptually, we always wanted to add three starters if we could do so economically," Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said. "We just thought that would really improve our overall depth."

In separate trades made last month, the Reds received right-hander Tanner Roark from the Nationals and left-hander Alex Wood from the Dodgers. Gray, Roark and Wood will join a rotation with holdover Luis Castillo. The fifth spot could be a battle between Anthony DeSclafani, Sal Romano, Tyler Mahle and others.

Once the Reds and Yankees agreed to make their trade, the Reds were given a 72-hour window to negotiate the extension with Gray. Roark and Wood both have one-year contracts and can become free agents after the season.

"Once we acquired the two guys with the one-year deals, we said that we would only acquire Sonny if we were able to extend him," Williams said. "We didn't want to be in a position where all three starters would be becoming free agents next year. That was a condition of pursuing this trade."

Featuring mostly young starters in 2018, the Reds' rotation ranked 14th out of 15 National League clubs with a 5.02 ERA and a league-high 151 home runs allowed. Cincinnati is much more optimistic heading into this season.

"We have a chance to go into this season with the best rotation we've had in five years," Reds general manager Nick Krall said. "It makes you feel better about where you are and looking at your club with guys that have been solid Major League starters. We've got a whole group of them."