Cubs Rumors: Sonny Gray is drawing early interest from a top NL contender

You can't ever have enough starting pitching. Every team, even the Chicago Cubs, who entered the year feeling good about their rotation depth, learns that lesson one way or another. After losing Justin Steele to a season-ending injury, Chicago has seen Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon all spend time on the injured list, pushing the team's depth to its limits.

It stands to reason, then, that Jed Hoyer could look to bolster that group this winter. After passing on any major rotation upgrades at the trade deadline, many would love to see Chicago make a bold play for a high-upside arm, but a more likely route is a short-term pact for a proven commodity. Someone, perhaps, like veteran right-hander Sonny Gray?

According to Giants beat writer Susan Slusser, if the Cubs decide to take a run at Gray, they could face early competition in the form of the San Francisco Giants who is, "on the Giants' radar" and "very much a potential target" for president of baseball operations Buster Posey.

Now, we need to address the elephant in the room right away. It's highly unlikely the Cardinals would even entertain the idea of trading Gray to a division rival, let alone the Cubs. The right-hander has one more year on his current deal at a whopping $35 million, with a $30 million team option for 2027 that contains a $5 million buyout.

That, plus the hefty price tag, make a Cubs' trade pursuit of Gray a long shot, at best. But the inherent lack of long-term risk, paired with a changing of the guard in the St. Louis front office, could at least open the door to the possibility. While Gray's numbers have been pedestrian this year, the expected metrics suggest a much more encouraging picture (3.30 FIP, 2.97 xFIP). And, after all, we know how the Cubs love to bet on guys outperforming expectations.

The Giants need rotation help. San Francisco ranks 17th in the league with a 4.11 starters' ERA this season and Gray would certainly raise the floor of the group, collectively. There are a lot of 'what-ifs' in the scenario (would Gray be open to a trade after pushing back against the idea in recent years? will his price tag dissuade interested teams?) - but he could be an intruiging fit for clubs looking for staff help like San Francisco and Chicago, especially if they want to steer clear of handing out long-term deals in free agency.