Yankees Trade Rumors: NY Favored to Land Sonny Gray, Braves in Contact with A's

The New York Yankees remain frontrunners to land Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, though the Atlanta Braves have also reportedly been in contact with Oakland.

Heyman also broke down what each team could potentially offer in a trade:

Heyman added that the Chicago Cubs are also in on Gray, though the price may be "too steep" for their liking.

But all accounts continue to favor the Yankees to land Gray's services. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that an "involved person says Yankees have 'pieces to make it work' on Gray trade. Teams continue to talk. Will Athletics agree about those pieces?"

And Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com added, "Yankees and Athletics are 'close enough to get over the hump' today on a Gray deal, says source. Still gonna take some compromise."

Sweeny Murti of WFAN gave insight into the state of talks and the names being discussed in talks between the Yankees and A's:

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com later reported it "looks like" Gray will either go to the Yankees before the deadline or remain in Oakland. Feinsand noted New York has the best offer on the table, but Oakland could wait until the winter to once again shop Gray.

Gray, 27, remains the biggest name being floated on the market alongside Texas Rangers' ace Yu Darvish. While Darvish is a free agent after the season, however, Gray is under club control through the 2019 season, giving him added value since there isn't the risk of giving up major assets for a late-summer rental.

And Gray has been very solid once again this season, going 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. For a team like New York that is set up to both compete this year and in the near future given its young core, adding a player like Gray would make a lot of sense.