Padres Land Robbie Ray From Giants for Two Prospects
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- San Diego Padres acquired left-handed starter Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants, sending right-handed pitching prospect Miguel Mendez (MLB Pipeline's No. 4 Padres prospect) and 17-year-old shortstop Joniel Hernandez back to San Francisco.
- Ray posted a 1.65 ERA with a 3.28 FIP across 10 starts and 60 innings since June 1, allowing one earned run or fewer in eight of those outings and zero earned runs five times.
- The Padres entered the deal with a rotation ranked 25th in WAR (4.3) and a 4.89 ERA from starters since July 1, leaving Michael King as the only other reliable arm in a group missing Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove, and Lucas Giolito.
- San Diego has won eight of its last nine games and now sits one game behind the third wild-card spot, with the two clubs splitting the roughly $8 million still owed to Ray.
- The Giants are 47-65 and fully selling ahead of Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, having already moved Luis Arraez to Philadelphia and potentially still dealing Heliot Ramos and JT Brubaker.
- The deal earned an A grade for the Padres and a B for the Giants, with Mendez having missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury cited as the primary risk in San Francisco's return package.
Why it matters: San Diego lands a second viable starter behind Michael King after weeks of bullpen games, and the move — coupled with an 8-of-9 run — signals the Padres are buyers rather than sellers, quashing speculation they might trade closer Mason Miller. The Giants, at 47-65, continue a deadline selloff that already shipped Luis Arraez to Philadelphia.
