The Cincinnati Reds have made this offseason interesting with the big trade to acquire Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and Alex Wood from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, they have made it clear that they want to get back into contention with another big trade, acquiring starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the New York Yankees.

According to a report from Jon Heyman of FanCred, the Reds will acquire Gray from the Yankees in exchange for prospect Shed Long, a draft pick, and possibly a third piece.

Yankees, Reds are finalizing the Sonny Gray trade. infield prospect Shed Long and a draft pick are expected to go to NY, and possibly a 3rd lesser piece. Long is an excellent hitter, fair defender. Just need to cross t’s, dot i’s (ie medicals, 40-man considerations, etc.) — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 20, 2019

Gray is an intriguing pickup for the Reds, to say the least. He has had flashes of brilliance throughout his career, but has also shown inconsistency.

During the 2018 MLB season with the Yankees, Gray finished with an 11-9 record to go along with a 4.90 ERA. He was much better on the road than at Yankee Stadium, which is not surprising due to the hitter friendly dimensions of the park. Gray should pitch much better at Great American Ballpark.

For the last few years, Cincinnati has been viewed as a fairly easy win for most teams. They have not been competitive and were not aggressive on the trade market to get back into contention.

At 29 years old, Gray has one year left on his contract. If he pitches well for the Reds, a long-term extension would certainly be a possibility.

All of that being said, the Reds are going to be an intriguing team to watch in 2019. They aren’t going to be hyped up as a playoff contender, but they have enough talent to shock the league if they play to their full potential.