San Diego Padres: Realistic trade targets to bolster starting rotation

Jon Gray

As I previously wrote earlier this offseason, Colorado Rockies starter Jon Gray makes a lot of sense for the Padres.

Another 28 year-old, Gray is a right-handed power arm who’s fastball can get up to the high 90s while countering the heat with a reasonably effective slider.

He has posted sub 4.00 ERAs in two of the last three seasons, while pitching a significant amount of his innings at Coors Field.

However, his career numbers show that he’s been just as good at home (4.36 ERA) as he has been on the road (4.56 ERA).

Gray’s 2019 season was one of his better seasons, posting a 3.84 ERA with a 150/56 K/BB rate in 150 innings.

His season ended in August due to a stress fracture in his left foot which had given him trouble in the past.

While clearly a risk given his injury history, Gray has put up steady numbers in Colorado and is under team control through the 2021 season.

He, like Ray, may be hard to pry from a team in the NL West, but it is certainly worth investigating if you are the Padres.

Gray is expected to make $5-6 million through arbitration in 2020, which wouldn’t put a terrible strain on the Padres payroll.