MLB Trade Rumors: Latest on Jon Gray, Ken Giles, Padres

The MLB general manager meetings have come and gone, and we're now just a few short weeks away from the whirlwind of activity that is the annual winter meetings.

The top-heavy nature of this year's free-agent market could mean increased activity on the trade market, and rumors have already started to trickle out surrounding potentially available players and teams that could be busy.

Ahead we've put together a quick roundup of some of the latest notable rumors, including an intriguing alternative to the free-agent starting pitching market, a standout closer expected to be on the move and a team on the rise with a deep staple of young talent ready to make a splash.

Padres eyeing trade market, top young arms untouchable

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After breaking the bank to sign Eric Hosmer (8/$144M) and Manny Machado (10/$300M) the past two offseasons, the San Diego Padres are expected to focus on the trade market this time around.

With arguably the deepest farm system in baseball, there is no shortage of trade fodder in the hunt for an impact bat or a frontline starting pitcher.

That said, the question could be whether team is willing to move one of its marquee young pitchers, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote:

"Amid rumblings the Padres are poised to deal from their abundance of young talent this winter, two personnel executives proffered Monday that the Padres could have to part with one of their top three young pitchers if they want to land an impact bat or top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

Based on the ongoing indications from those inside the organization and what representatives of other teams say, however, MacKenzie Gore and Chris Paddack are virtually untouchable and Luis Patino is just slightly more available than that."

Paddack, 23, posted a 3.33 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 153 strikeouts in 140.2 innings as a rookie, emerging as one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball and a potential cornerstone in the San Diego rotation.

Gore, 20, logged a 1.69 ERA with 135 punchouts in 101 innings between High-A and Double-A to emerge as arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 draft could be in the majors by next season.

Patino, 20, was one of the breakout prospects of 2019, reaching Double-A while racking up a 123-to-38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 94.2 innings.

Will the front office seriously consider moving anyone from that trio to make an immediate improvement to the roster?

Market for Blue Jays closer Ken Giles quiet so far

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The free-agent market for relief pitchers is extremely thin this year, and Will Smith's early move to sign with the Atlanta Braves has made it even thinner.

In theory, that should mean a robust market for Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles.

However, that apparently hasn't been the case to this point.

If not for an ill-timed injury last summer just before the trade deadline, Giles might already be pitching elsewhere, and he returned strong down the stretch to erase any questions about his health.

The 29-year-old finished the season with a 1.87 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and a career-high 14.1 K/9 while nailing down 23 of 24 save chances in 53 appearances.

He's projected to earn $8.4 million in his final year of arbitration, and for a Blue Jays team still in the process of rebuilding, flipping him for more young talent makes the most sense.

For now, it seems the market's focus is elsewhere.

Rockies starter Jon Gray drawing "a lot" of trade interest

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After back-to-back playoff appearances, the Colorado Rockies took a significant step backward in 2019 with a 71-91 record to finish fourth in the NL West.

It remains to be seen what direction they will move in 2019, but one key member of the pitching staff is generating significant interest on the trade market.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft, Gray has shown flashes of emerging as a frontline pitcher, but he's dealt with inconsistency along the way.

His 3.84 ERA this past season was good for a 135 ERA+, which ranked 18th among all pitchers with at least 150 innings pitched.

The 28-year-old is under team control for two more seasons and projected to earn a team-friendly $5.6 million in arbitration, so he represents a cheaper solution for teams who don't want to break the bank by signing someone like Gerrit Cole, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner or Hyun-Jin Ryu.

If the Rockies make him available, the return could be huge.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.