Reds unlikely to trade Sonny Gray to Padres after Blake Snell dealt

The Padres are now an unlikely destination for Reds starter Sonny Gray.

Well, you can mark San Diego off the list of places Sonny Gray may be playing next season. Last night, the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres pulled off a blockbuster deal that sent former Cy Young award winner Blake Snell to the Friars. The Cincinnati Reds, who’ve been rumored to be shopping Sonny Gray, are unlikely to reach an agreement with the Padres.

That trade is likely welcome news to Reds fans who want to see Gray return to the Queen City in 2021. The right-hander has been the subject of many trade rumors this offseason due to the lack of elite-level pitching talent on the free agent market. Outside of Cy Young-winner Trevor Bauer, it’s unlikely to see any hurler sign a mega-deal similar to what we saw from Gerrit Cole last winter.

The Cincinnati faithful have been questioning the trade rumors all offseason after the front office spent big in 2019. However, the coronavirus pandemic has caused every major league team to rethink their spending this offseason.

Thus far, we’ve seen the Cincinnati Reds non-tender catcher Curt Casali, outfielder Brian Goodwin, and reliever Archie Bradley, trade closer Raisel Iglesias, and sign some relative unknowns to help fill out the roster.

Gray has not been the only starter rumored to be on the trade block. Luis Castillo’s name has been tossed about, and we’ve heard mention of Eugenio Suárez and Mike Moustakas as possible trade targets.

The Padres were one of the team’s most often mentioned in the market for a starting pitcher. After having success in 2020, San Diego is hopeful to capitalize on the youth movement led by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth. “Slam Diego” also has Wil Myers and Manny Machado leading the charge for the Friars.

For now, the idea of dealing Sonny Gray to the San Diego Padres appears to be dead. However, there are other teams likely to inquire about the availability of the Cincinnati Reds starter. The Minnesota Twins may be lurking to see what kind of return Nick Krall would require for the two-time All-Star.