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Report: Phillies, Astros, Yankees have interest in D-Backs' Ray

Norm Hall / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray has become a highly coveted starter leading up to the trade deadline, receiving recent interest from the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros, sources told Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

The New York Yankees are interested, too, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

It's unclear how advanced either team's talks with the D-Backs might be, and it also isn't known whether Arizona will ultimately trade Ray. The D-Backs are all but out of the NL West race, entering Monday 14 1/2 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers, yet they only sit 1 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot.

All three teams could use Ray for playoff pushes. Houston is already without Brad Peacock, who had a recent setback while rehabbing a shoulder injury. Ray would fit in nicely as a second left-hander behind the star duo of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, accompanying fellow southpaw Wade Miley.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, has received inconsistent starting pitching all year and is known to be in the market for upgrades. The team had interest in acquiring Andrew Cashner from Baltimore before he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox, MASN's Roch Kubatko reported Saturday.

The Yankees are focusing on adding at least one starter, given Luis Severino's injury, and the inconsistent performances from the rest of their staff. Adding Ray would give them a fourth left-handed starter alongside veterans CC Sabathia, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ.

Ray, an All-Star in 2017, has made an NL-best 20 starts this season, posting a 3.81 ERA, 4.04 FIP, and 1.31 WHIP over that span. While he leads all NL pitchers with 56 walks, his 11.8 K/9 rate is over two strikeouts higher than that of fellow trade target Madison Bumgarner. Ray also leads the D-Backs with 145 strikeouts.

The 27-year-old isn't scheduled to reach free agency until after next season, his final year of arbitration.

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