White Sox: The pros and cons of signing Sonny Gray

The Chicago White Sox need pitchers and the New York Yankees have one available for trade.

It isn’t unheard of for the White Sox and Yankees to become trade partners, especially when it comes to pitching deals.

But, this might be one pitching deal that the Sox should walk away from, very quickly. If Sonny Gray isn’t good enough for the Yankees, then he isn’t good enough for the Sox. But, then again, maybe he is.

Gray started his career with the Oakland A’s when he was only 23 years old. He had some up-and-down seasons but ended up with a 3.42 ERA in his five seasons in California. Gray was traded to the Yankees in 2017 and after 34 starts and 41 games, he ended up with an ERA of 4.51. While Gray excelled in O-Town, he wasn’t as strong in the Big Apple.

Before saying no way to Gray, it is worth understanding how challenging it can be to simply be a Yankee. New York is a tough market where the media and fans nitpick every little thing. It makes Chicago look like a cakewalk. Which is exactly why Chicago could be a good fit for Gray. He might thrive in a market with less pressure – like that of the ChiSox (although we at Southside Showdown can be hard – at times – on players).

Gray has some issues that should be red flags for any team that needs starting pitching. Gray walks batters, but then again, so did most of the 2018 starters who wore Sox uniforms. In 130.1 innings, he walked 57 batters. His ratio of innings and walks is up significantly from his All-Star season in 2015 when he walked 59 batters in 208 innings. In 2018, he walked 3.9 batters per nine.