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Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray is of course widely expected to be dealt leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. On that point ... 

Obviously, the A's are scratching Gray from Sunday's scheduled start because they expect to trade him soon. As Morosi notes, the Yankees are foremost among the suitors for Gray at the moment. Elsewhere, Jon Heyman and Mark Feinsand report that talks between the two teams are getting more serious. 

Gray, 27, isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2019 season, and in 2017 he's thus far enjoyed a strong bounce-back campaign after a disappointing 2016. On the year, he's got an ERA+ of 122 with a K/BB ratio of 3.13 after 17 starts. Gray finished third in the AL Cy Young balloting in 2015, and of late he's looked very much like the ace he was during that season. 

If a deal with the Yankees come to pass, then according to multiple reports center field prospect Estevan Florial is likely be involved. Florial, 19, is putting up strong numbers in the South Atlantic League this season. 

The Yankees already pulled off a major trade with the White Sox this month, but with Michael Pineda out for the rest of the year and Masahiro Tanaka struggling with his consistency, they'd like to fortify the rotation before the deadline.