The MLB general manager meetings are in full swing in Scottsdale, Arizona, where league executives are huddled to discuss the state of the game, meet with potential free agents, and negotiate trades.
One of the hottest names on the starting pitching market is former Minnesota Twins pitcher Sonny Gray. The 34-year-old is a three-time All-Star (2015, 2019, 2023). Gray threw 184 innings over 32 starts, posting a 2.79 ERA, and 1.147 WHIP, allowing only 7.6 hits per nine innings while posting a K/9 rate of 9.0.
The talented Gray will have plenty of suitors in free agency, and according to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, the Philadelphia Phillies are among those teams. Of course, the Phillies will attempt to retain free agent Aaron Nola, who received a qualifying offer from the National League runner-ups, but there’s a good chance that he leaves in free agency.
Morosi writes that the Phillies will be a “top suitor” for Gray, who is among three Cy Young finalists in the American League, if Nola elects to walk in free agency.
“Gray and Philly pitching coach Caleb Cotham are former college teammates and worked well together while Cotham was with the Reds,” Morosoi wrote on Twitter/X.
The Phillies are certainly a pairing worth watching for one of the top starting pitchers on the market. It remains to be seen where Gray ultimately ends, but it’s not out of the question that he makes his return to the National League — he was with the Cincinnati Reds from 2019-21 — after spending 2022-23 with the Minnesota Twins.
