Sonny Gray Trade Rumors: Brewers Reportedly 'Fading' in Talks for A's Pitcher

The Milwaukee Brewers may be falling out of the Sonny Gray sweepstakes, with MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal reporting the Brewers are "fading" in their pursuit of the Oakland Athletics ace.

After the Chicago White Sox dealt Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs, Gray is arguably the best starting pitcher on the MLB trade market. He's 6-4 with a 3.66 ERA in 15 starts for the A's this season.

According to FanGraphs, Gray's 3.38 FIP also ranks eighth among American League pitchers with at least 90 innings.

Further increasing his trade value, Gray is under team control for two more years, so he's far from a half-season rental.

At 53-48, the Brewers are leading the National League Central, but a half-game lead on the Cubs doesn't provide Milwaukee with much safety. As such, it makes sense the team is attempting to strengthen a starting rotation that ranks seventh in team ERA (4.08).

The Detroit Free Press' Anthony Fenech reported Thursday the Brewers also had Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander on their radar. While Verlander has a stronger body of work than Gray, he's also 34 years old and set to earn $56 million over the next two years.

While those two factors make Gray a better option for Milwaukee, the team's front office may need to shift gears should its hopes of working out a deal with Oakland begin dwindling.