Reds History: Yankees trade future Cy Young finalist to Cincy for overhyped prospect

The Cincinnati Reds 2018 season went off the rails quickly. Bryan Price's team started 3-15 before he was fired and replaced by Jim Rigglemen. The Reds finished the year 67-95 in last place in the NL Central. The following offseason, Cincinnati tabbed David Bell to be the team's next manager, and shortly afterward found the new skipper a frontline starter.

On January 18, 2019, the Reds swung a trade with the New York Yankees for former All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray. The right-hander found success early-on in his career while with the Oakland Athletics, but hit a wall after being shipped to the Bronx at the 2017 MLB trade deadline.

Gray's time in the Big Apple was far from successful, especially at Yankee Stadium. In 41 outings, Gray went 15-16 with a 4.51 ERA and a 1.416 WHIP. After the 2018, Yankees GM Brian Cashman toyed with the notion of trading Gray and eventually found a deal to his liking.

Reds History: Yankees trade future Cy Young finalist to Cincy for overhyped prospect

Gray was packaged with left-handed pitching prospect Reiver Sanmartin and sent to the Reds as part of what would become a three-team deal. The Reds sent a competitive balance pick and longtime prospect Shed Long Jr. to the Yankees, who then quickly turned around and sent the infielder to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Josh Stowers.

Long's career never took off. A 12th round draft pick in 2012, Long steadily worked his way up through the Reds' farm system. By 2018, Long was a top-10 prospect inside the organization and was added to the Reds' 40-man roster. After being traded, Long finally made his big league debut in 2019. Unfortunately, Long only managed to hit .216/.284/.376 in 110 career games over a three-year stretch in the bigs and has been out of affiliated baseball since 2023.

As for Gray, he signed a four-year extension upon his arrival in Cincinnati went to the All-Star Game during his first season with the Reds. Gray spent three years in the Queen City and compiled a 23-20 record with a 3.49 ERA before being shipped to the Minnesota Twins following the 2021 season. During his 2023 campaign with the Twins, Gray finished second in the AL Cy Young voting to New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

Gray has since left Minnesota and signed a three-year pact with the Reds' NL Central rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, prior to the 2024 season. Though Gray dealt with a variety of nagging injuries during his tenure in Cincinnati, the right-hander's time with the Reds will always be looked upon fondly.

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