MLB trade rumors: Cardinals pursued Gray, reportedly made intriguing offer

The Cardinals might have offered Stephen Piscotty and more

The Oakland Athletics struck a deal with the New York Yankees that sent starter Sonny Gray to the Bronx on Monday in exchange for three prospects -- pitcher James Kaprielian, outfielder Dustin Fowler, and infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo.

Before the A's agreed to that deadline deal, they weighed offers from other clubs -- including, surprisingly, the St. Louis Cardinals. Here's what the Red Birds offered, per Ken Rosenthal:

One other note on the Gray saga: The Cardinals entered the discussions late, floating the idea of a package that would have included outfielder Stephen Piscotty and a right-handed pitcher, either Luke Weaver or Jack Flaherty.

The discussions did not advance; the A's wanted the Yankees' prospects instead.

The Cardinals' involvement is interesting for multiple reasons. The first of which is that it doesn't match up with expectations. The Cardinals entered August under .500 at 52-53 and 4 1/2 games back in the National League Central. Many in the industry thought St. Louis would entertain selling, with pending free agent Lance Lynn being circled as likeliest to go.

Instead, the Cardinals' pursuit of Gray speaks to their beliefs that they aren't out of it -- not now, and not over the ensuing seasons they would have had him under team control. That's not too surprising -- no one expects the Cardinals to enter a full rebuild anytime soon -- but it's notable all the same.

The A's decision to pass on the offer is notable, too. Piscotty is signed to a team-friendly contract through at least the 2022 season, and has more than 1,000 big-league at-bats in which he has proven to be an above-average hitter. Flaherty is a call away from the majors, while Weaver has already thrown more innings in the Show than the callow Kaprielian has thrown as a professional.

Essentially, the A's chose ceiling over floor, an inherently risky strategy -- more so here, given Kaprielian and Fowler are each out for the year due to injury -- but an understandable one from a franchise that can't afford to sign impact-level talents. It will take a few seasons to see if Oakland's gamble pays off. If it doesn't, at least we'll have a fun what-if scenario to ponder.