BREAKING: NY YANKEES ACQUIRE SONNY GRAY FOR THREE PROSPECTS

BREAKING: NY YANKEES ACQUIRE SONNY GRAY FOR THREE PROSPECTS

By: Matthew Blittner

'Tis the season.

Everybody knows that today, July 31st, is Major League Baseball's annual non-waiver trade deadline.

One of the biggest rumors leading up to the deadline has been that of the Yankees and Oakland Athletics making a significant trade for the first time in 15-years. The trade talk revolved around the name of Athletics' ace Sonny Gray, who, is signed to a team-friendly contract through 2019.

Much of the speculation in recent weeks has centered around the name Jorge Mateo. Mateo is a young shortstop on the rise, whose prospect status had taken a bit of a hit in recent years due to inconsistency. 

Jorge has since found his path to the majors blocked by the likes of Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, fellow prospects Gleyber Torres, and Cito Culver. The Yankees' farm system is stocked with middle-infield talent, and as such, made Mateo expandable. 

At roughly 3pm EST, the Yankees and Athletics consummated the trade for Gray. 

Going from Oakland to New York, Gray will fill the hole in the Yanks' rotation that was left by Michael Pineda's season-ending injury. In exchange, SS Jorge Mateo, fellow prospects OF Dustin Fowler and P James Kaprielian are going to Oakland.

At first glance, it might seem that the Yanks overpaid by surrendering three of their top-12 prospects for Gray, but once you dig beneath the surface, you'll find that GM Brian Cashman actually made a terrific trade.

While Mateo had revived his stock in recent weeks with some strong play, Kaprielian and Fowler are not as much of a loss as their prospect status would indicate. 

Kaprielian has been unable to stay healthy throughout his tenure in the Yankees' farm system. James' season ended before it ever began with his undergoing Tommy John Surgery back in April. Once the Yankees' Number One pitching prospect, Kaprielian won't be ready to pitch again until midway through the 2018 season and after his lineage of arm injuries, who knows if he'll ever make good on his potential.

Fowler, who was the Yanks' eighth best prospect as late as April, was called up the majors earlier this season, and in the first inning of his Major League debut, crashed into the wall and was carted off the field with a season-ending ruptured patella tendon. A ruptured patella tendon can be a career-ending injury and now the Athletics are hoping that he comes back strong for next season.

In essence, the Athletics gave up their staff ace for two damaged prospects and a SS who is still at least a season away from making an impact at the Major League level.

For the Yankees, kudos to Brian Cashman for pulling off this trade without giving up any Major-League ready prospects. Between the acquisition of Gray and, to a lesser extent, Jaime Garcia, whom he acquired from the Twins for a mid-level pitching prospect early Sunday morning, the Yankees' rotation has gone from a question mark to a strength, on paper anyway.