Chicago Cubs Still Interested in Adding Sonny Gray Even After Acquiring José Quintana
Last week, the Chicago Cubs pulled off the biggest trade of the season so far when they sent Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, Bryant Flete and Matt Rose to the White Sox for star pitcher José Quintana.
After giving up two of their top prospects in the trade, baseball enthusiasts have surmised that the team was unlikely to make another huge move at the trade deadline since they no longer have the assets to make such a deal. However, the Cubs seemed to have something else in mind.
MLB Networks' Jon Morosi has reported that the Cubs have continued to show interest in Oakland Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray even after they acquired Quintana, and FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal said his source has told him the same thing.
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With Jake Arrieta and John Lackey set to become unrestricted free agents after the season, the Cubs do need to find someone to fill their spots when they leave.
The question is, do the Cubs have the assets to acquire Gray?
Interestingly, ESPN's Keith Law has recently said Adbert Alzolay and Oscar De La Cruz's stocks are on the rise, and they have surpassed Cease as pitching prospects. So perhaps those two may be included in the deal to acquire Gray.
Cubbies Crib's Andrew Colvert has also suggested that they may have to part ways with Javy Báez, Kyle Schwarber or Ian Happ if they want the Athletics to ship Gray to Chicago. But Colvert doesn't think a deal is happening anytime soon since the Athletics are likely to take their time examining every offer they receive before they make a decision. He also believes that the Cubs may decide to wait until 2018 to get a top-tier starter.
"A rotation core of Lester, Quintana, Gray and Hendricks for the next two-and-a-half years is definitely intriguing. However, since 2018 is the year of free agency, the Cubs may wait and see if they can't just buy a top-tier starter," Colvert said.
