Gray’s rough start for A’s impacts trade value

Could A’s right-hander Sonny Gray still be moved by the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline? Sure. But the chances fell precipitously Thursday night.

With a scout from virtually every contender in attendance at the Oakland Coliseum, Gray allowed seven earned runs. That tied his season high. He surrendered nine hits, which hadn’t happened since early May.

Gray had quelled concerns with four quality starts among his previous five outings, but those questions are back again. Coming off a season in which he finished third in voting for the American League Cy Young Award, Gray’s ERA is 5.49.

Oakland officials have such high regard for Gray that it would’ve been difficult to trade him under any circumstances. Now it’s even harder to imagine. The A’s believe his value should reflect his superlative 2015 season; the scouts who watched Gray on Thursday saw a struggling pitcher who spent time on the disabled list earlier this year. The gap between those valuations is probably too vast to rectify over the next 10 days.

Gray’s clunker was especially unwelcome for the A’s in light of the uncertainty surrounding whether lefty Rich Hill will make …

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