The Baltimore Orioles head into Wednesday's Game 2 against the Kansas City Royals facing elimination after dropping Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series.
Right-hander Corbin Burnes was admirable in the opener, pitching eight innings of one-run ball. However, if the Orioles lose on Wednesday, that could prove to be Burnes' final start in Baltimore.
Burnes is a free agent, and it won't be easy to retain him, but Baltimore can look at the trade market and potential pull off a deal for St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray.
Christopher Kline of FanSided listed Baltimore as a top destination for Gray.
Baltimore would certainly have to give up a lot to land Gray, who still has two years of team control.
St. Louis may be on the verge of a fire sale as part of their rebuild, but they'll demand some top prospects in order to bounce back into contention as soon as possible.
Baltimore has plenty of prospects in their system that are Major League ready such as Coby Mayo on the position player side and Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich on the pitching side.
Gray went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA in his first season in St. Louis. Should Baltimore acquire him, they would be able to add an ace to replace Burnes and not have to enter the sweepstakes for a top-level starter in free agency.
It will be interesting to see how Baltimore approaches the offseason and if St. Louis truly wants to trade Gray.
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