Yankees pull the trigger, pay steep price for Athletics ace Sonny Gray

The Yankees are looking to keep pace in the race for the AL East — while also bolsering their chances at making a deep playoff run. In a busy week, the Bombers added Athletics starter Sonny Gray, a move that gives the Yankes a true ace and top of rotation hurler just hours before the trade deadline.

Gray is 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA this season for the lowly Athletics, two seasons removed from a 14-7 campaign with a 2.73 ERA back in 2015. The 27-year-old is a former first round pick and had a rough go of it a season ago, battling injuries with an above-5 ERA.

This season he joins a New York staff that has already added lefty Jaime Garcia ahead of Monday afternoon’s deadline.

The Yankees paid a kings ransom for the hurler — who is arbitration elligible (and under team control) for two more offseasons, sending Dustin Fowler (outfielder, team’s fifth best prospects), Jorge Mateo (shortstop, team’s eighth best prospect) and James Kaprielian (pitcher, team’s 12th best prospect) out west to Oakland in the deal.

They will also acquire $1.5 million cash and room in their international signing bonus pool as part of the trade.

The much-anticipated move has been in the works, according to reports, for several weeks and confirms the speculation of many over whether the Yankees were willing to go all out and sell in an attempt to compete this season (they were).

New York is at home hosting the Tigers for a three-game set that will likely see Gray make his pinstripes debut.