Why the Minnesota Twins trading for Sonny Gray was the right move
The Minnesota Twins announced they’ve traded 2021 first-round pick Chase Petty to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Sonny Gray and a minor league pitcher.
The Twins finally added a starting pitcher. It was about damn time.
Gray is on the older side (32), but Minnesota needed another arm. Last season the two-time All-Star delivered a 7-9 season, with an ERA of 4.19. He also finished with a wins above replacement of 3.3.
Gray will also provide veteran leadership for the younger arms.
2021 wasn’t his best season, but he was just as dominant as he was in 2019 and 2020.
Here’s Gray’s MLB Percentile Rankings according to Baseball Savant:
Those are some damn good numbers.
Gray will help the Twins out next season, and barring another move, he should be the opening day starter. Other than José Berríos and Kenta Maeda’s Cy Young year in 2020, Minnesota has lacked an elite option on the mound.
Adding him changes the whole trajectory of the 2022 season. Before this deal was made, it was shaping up to be a lost season. However, adding Gray opens the door to the Twins making another deal.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that the organization is looking to add more starting pitching. Could we potentially see a deal made with Oakland?
If Minnesota traded for Frankie Montas or Sean Manea, they could potentially take the AL Central crown.
On top of trading for Gray, the Twins added minor leaguer, Francis Peguero. The 24-year-old relief pitcher went 1-1, with an ERA of 4.96 in High-A. That’s not good, but pitching depth is pitching depth.
Losing Petty sucks, and hopefully, he has a good career, but not too great of one. If he turned into an elite pitcher, this trade may look pretty bad in 10 years. Petty was the Twins’ first-round pick in 2021, and he’s got some nasty stuff in his repertoire.
The 18-year-old throws triple digits. You mix that in with a good slider and changeup, and you have the makeup of a potential future All-Star. The question becomes, how will he look in five years?
Because he throws with such high velocity, Petty could deal with injuries throughout his career. He may never become a starting pitcher but instead a reliever.
Prospects are never a for sure thing. I’m OK with Minnesota trading a talented 18-year-old for a win-now pitcher.
Not only does trading for Gray improve the Twins’ starting pitching, but it opens the door for another move. A few days ago, the 2022 season was looking like a wash, but now we may see a very competitive team on the field this year.
