The 2021 Cy Young winner has found a new team.
The San Francisco Giants have reportedly traded starting pitcher Robbie Ray within the NL West, to the San Diego Padres, per ESPN. The deal is still being finalized, but the New York Post reports that Miguel Mendez and Joniel Hernandez are the expected return.
Ray had long been linked with a move from the Giants ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. This year, he’s been arguably the Giants’ best starter, notching a 10-6, with a 3.08 ERA and 107 strikeouts. He made the 2025 All-Star team, his first since 2017 when he broke through with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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In 2021 while with the Blue Jays, Ray had a dominant season and ended up winning the AL Cy Young Award. That year, he the league in ERA (2.84), strikeouts (248), innings pitched (193 1⁄3), and WHIP (1.04). He signed a five-year contract worth $115 million in 2022 with the Mariners, but struggled in Seattle as he underwent Tommy John Surgery. He was traded to the Giants in 2024, where he has produced five wins above replacement in his last two seasons and 305 innings.
Ray is an immediate boost for the Padres’s rotation. He’s 6-0 with a 1.03 ERA over his last eight starts since June 16. He joins Michael King as the only Padres’ starter with an above-average ERA in 2026. San Diego is 11 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, but just one back of a wild-card spot.
The 34-year-old left-hander is still owed the remainder of his $25 million salary for 2026, which is the final year of the deal he signed with the Mariners before the 2022 season. Ray has a career 3.43 ERA in 11 starts and 60 ⅓ innings at Petco Park.
Mendez is a 23-year-old starting pitcher who has made 11 starts in Double-A in 2026, posting a 4.93 ERA with just under 10 strikeouts per nine but 4.4 walks per. He was the fourth-ranked prospect in the Padres’ organization, per MLB Pipeline, while Joniel Hernandez is a 17-year-old Cuban shortstop playing in the Dominican Summer League, who is batting .303/.424/.503 through 41 games as a pro.
