With the start of spring training just around the corner, the Twins have made a significant addition to their rotation, landing two-time All-Star Sonny Gray in a deal with the Reds.
Minnesota also received minor league pitcher Francis Peguero, with Cincinnati receiving 2021 first-round pick Chase Petty.
Gray, 32, has spent the last three seasons with the Reds after previous stints with the A’s and Yankees. In 26 starts last year, he went 7–9 with a 4.19 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 135 1/3 innings. Gray was an All-Star in 2015 and ’19, and owns a career 3.61 ERA across nine seasons.
Petty was the No. 26 overall pick in the 2021 draft. A right-handed-pitcher, the 18-year-old was ranked as Minnesota's No. 7 prospect this year by MLB Pipeline. Petty drew rave reviews by scouts for his pure stuff and lively fastball, inking a signing bonus of $2.5 million.
After winning back-to-back division titles in 2019 and ’20, the Twins regressed in 2021, posting a 73–89 record while finishing last in the American League Central.
