NASHVILLE — Dollars are flying around for any starting pitcher who’s available this winter, and the totals are astronomical. More than $200 million each for Zack Greinke and David Price. Jeff Samardzija: $90 million from the Giants. Hisashi Iwakauma, a reported three years and $45 million, with Scott Kazmir, an A’s target, looking at something in that same ballpark.

With this in mind, why wouldn’t the A’s move quickly to get Sonny Gray signed through at least a few years of free agency?

“Sonny Gray is in that Greinke mold,” one major-league executive said Monday at baseball’s winter meetings. “He’s a stud No. 1 pitcher. He’s legit, a fierce competitor. He has swing-and-miss stuff with command, he’s pretty durable and his makeup is off the charts. Gray is the whole package, and definitely, the way things are going with the money for starting pitchers, they need to get him signed for as many years as they can get.”

Gray, 26, certainly would consider a long-term deal, even with the A’s coming off a last-place finish, and even as he has seen the riches bestowed on his good friend Price via the free-agent market.

“I wouldn’t mind staying in Oakland a long time,” said Gray, who shares an agent, Bo McKinnis, with Price. “They’ve been so good to me and my family, and even though we had one disappointing season, I have faith in this team, the coaches and the front office that we’ll put a good team out there the majority of the time. They’ll find the right formula to win.

“I’ve talked about it with my agent, and I’d definitely be comfortable staying there. And if I don’t, there’s nothing wrong with that, either. If I get to the point where I’m in that position, it’s kind of a win-win situation.”

What would Gray do with Price-level earnings? “I’d probably just stay in Smyrna,” Gray said with a laugh of his small hometown near Nashville.

Conservative estimates for what it would take to keep a young All-Star starter through four years of team service time plus two years of free agency: $52 million-$65 million, and the A’s have to be careful not to make too low of a proposal. Lowball offers have scuttled many a future deal. “If they go too low, they might never get him,” one industry source said.

The top contract in A’s history was Eric Chavez’s six-year, $66 million deal, all of which came in free-agent seasons — and the team watched Chavez spend much of that time on the disabled list with back trouble. Pitchers are considered a far greater injury risk than position players, so for Oakland, a pricey deal for a pitcher is a long shot.

At the same time, can the A’s afford not to sign Gray? They wouldn’t ever be able to sign an ace on the open market, and they have one on their roster they already know and love.

“That’s the most important thing they could possibly do if they’re in it to win it,” one American League scout said. “If you’re building for the long run, that’s what they have to do. You’ve got to try to develop and keep top-end starters, and if you can’t develop it, you have to hit a home run in a trade. At his age? Yeah, you need to sign Sonny Gray through at least two years of free agency, maybe even three.”

What about the injury risk?

“What about the salary risk?” the scout responded. “Everyone was screaming about Johnny Cueto not signing for $110 million with Arizona, now he might get $40 million more after the Greinke deal.

“And how much better is their dang division getting? Someone has to take the ball for them.”

Said another scout: “The price tag is only going to go up every year. The clock is ticking, and in another year, he’s closer to free agency and maybe he doesn’t want to sign long-term. I would say, ‘Lock him up now.’ And if not, trade him to us.”

One AL scout said his team has called the A’s several times about acquiring Gray and has been told he’s untouchable. “I believe it,” the scout said. “He should be untouchable. But I hope we keep trying, anyway.”

Notes: Oakland is likely to officially announce its deal with reliever Ryan Madson on Tuesday. The Chronicle has learned the contract breakdown: a $500,000 signing bonus; $6.5 million in 2016; $7.5 million in 2017 and $7.5 million in 2018. In each of those years, he would make an additional $250,000 for finishing 30 games, another $250,000 for finishing 35 games, another $250,000 for finishing 40 games and $500,000 for finishing 45 games. ... The A’s will hold their annual FanFest on Jan. 24 at the Coliseum and Oracle Arena; tickets are $10 and go on sale Monday.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser