Yankees acquire Sonny Gray from the A’s for Jorge Mateo, James Kaprielian and Dustin Fowler

By Jul 31, 2017, 3:04 PM EDT
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The New York Yankees have acquired starter Sonny Gray from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for prospects Jorge Mateo, James Kaprielian and Dustin Fowler. Jack Curry of YES Network first reported the deal. The Athletics have just officially announced it.

Gray is 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA and a 94/30 K/BB ratio in 97 innings this season. He’s under team control through 2019, so in addition to bolstering the Yankees rotation in 2017, he’ll figure in their rotation plans for at least the next two seasons. Both the short and long term implications of this deal address Yankees needs.

Filling that big need comes with paying a big price, and the Yankees are doing that to get Gray. Mateo, 22, was once the Yankees top prospect before some attitude issues halted his rise and the acquisition of Gleyber Torres moved him off of shortstop and to work at both second and in the outfield. The Yankees have showcased him at shortstop recently, however, likely with the intention to use him as a trade chit. Mateo has raked since a callup to Double-A a month ago, posting a .906 OPS in 30 games. He’s only 22.

James Kaprielian and Fowler, a reliever and an outfielder, respectively are both injured, but both have considerable promise. Kaprielianpick was a first round pick in 2015 out of UCLA. He’s currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. His professional experience is minimal, but many are optimistic about his chances to be a solid major league pitcher based on his pedigree. MLB.com ranked him as the Yankees’ #12 overall prospect this year.

Fowler hit .293/.329/.542 in 70 games at Triple-A this season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in his major league debut with the Yankees. Assuming no hiccups in his recovery, he projects as a future starting outfielder.

The Yankees have announced the deal too:

Yanks pitcher Severino has lat strain, likely to start on IL

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 8:29 PM EDT
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Dave Nelson/USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Yankees could be opening the season without three-fifths of their projected starting rotation.

Right-hander Luis Severino has a low-grade lat strain, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday, putting the two-time All-Star at risk of starting the season on the injured list.

“Obviously it’s going to put him in jeopardy to start the year,” Boone said.

Boone expressed optimism this wouldn’t be a long-term issue but acknowledged that Severino “most likely” would get placed on the injured list.

Severino, 29, went 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts last season. He struck out 112 in 102 innings.

Boone said the issue arose after Severino made his last start on Tuesday.

“Afterwards when he was kind of doing his workout, arm-care stuff, he just felt some tightness in there,” Boone said. “He came in the next day and it was a little tight, and then yesterday he was going to go out and throw and that tightness was still there enough to where he wanted to go get it looked at.”

The Yankees already won’t have right-hander Frankie Montas or left-hander Carlos Rodón for the start of the season.

Rodón, who joined the Yankees by signing a $162 million, six-year contract in the offseason, has a left forearm strain that will cause him to open the season on the injured list. Rodón has been an All-Star the last two seasons, in 2021 with the Chicago White Sox and in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants.

Montas is recovering from shoulder surgery and won’t begin throwing until at least late May.

The only projected starters from the Yankees’ rotation likely to be ready for the beginning of the season are five-time All-Star right-hander Gerrit Cole and 2022 All-Star left-hander Nestor Cortes.

DEGROM SHARP

Jacob deGrom struck out six over 3 2/3 shutout innings against the San Diego Padres in his final start before making his Texas Rangers regular-season debut.

The Rangers had announced Friday that deGrom would get the start Thursday when the Rangers open their season against Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies. The two-time Cy Young Award winner signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers in the offseason after spending nine seasons with the New York Mets.

GREINKE WORKS 5 1/3 INNINGS

Zack Greinke pitched 5 1/3 innings in his final test before he gets the ball against the Minnesota Twins in Kansas City on Thursday.

It will be Greinke’s seventh opening day start. At 39 years old, he will be the oldest opening-day starter in the history of the Royals franchise, breaking his own record set last year. He will be the the oldest opening day starter in the American League since a 40-year-old Curt Schilling started against the Royals in 2007.

Greinke allowed two runs on five hits against the Dodgers with no walks and two strikeouts.

“He was great today,” first-year manager Matt Quatraro said.“It certainly looked like the way they (Dodger batters) were taking those pitches, he was just dotting the plate on both sides. His two-seamer and changeup looked really good. It was encouraging.”

VOIT OPTS OUT

First baseman Luke Voit has opted out of his minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, giving the veteran slugger the opportunity to negotiate with other teams. He also could still return to the Brewers on a major league contract.

In other Brewers news, right-hander Adrian Houser left his start Saturday after 1 2/3 innings due to groin tightness.