08/03/26 02:53:00
Printable Page
08/03 14:51 CDT Padres acquire former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray from Giants
for another playoff push
Padres acquire former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray from Giants for another
playoff push
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
The San Diego Padres acquired veteran left-hander Robbie Ray from the San
Francisco Giants on Monday in a deadline trade for two prospects.
The Padres (58-54) have won eight of nine to move one game back of the final NL
wild-card playoff position, and this latest surge in their up-and-down season
prompted general manager A.J. Preller to trade yet another chunk of his
severely depleted farm system for another chance to win now.
San Diego gave up right-hander Miguel Mendez and 17-year-old shortstop Joniel
Hernandez for the 34-year-old Ray, a former Cy Young Award winner who will be
an unrestricted free agent this winter.
The Padres, who desperately needed a veteran starter for a rotation with the
majors' fourth-highest ERA, also got cash considerations to pay part of Ray's
$25 million salary.
Ray is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings this season,
his third with San Francisco. He has been largely outstanding over the past two
months, posting a 1.65 ERA since the start of June while allowing one earned
run or fewer in nine of his past 11 starts.
Ray is the only starting pitcher to beat the Padres in the past 10 days,
throwing six innings of four-hit ball at Petco Park in the Giants' 4-1 win last
Thursday. Ray has won seven consecutive decisions.
Ray made his name and earned his first All-Star selection while pitching for
Arizona from 2015-20. The Padres visit the Diamondbacks starting Monday night
for a key four-game series between NL West rivals separated by one game in the
wild-card standings.
Ray won his Cy Young with Toronto in 2021. He had Tommy John surgery in early
2023 while with Seattle, but he has returned to be a dependable starter for the
Giants, earning another All-Star nod last season.
The Padres' recent success has been driven by an offense that has awoken from
its first-half slumber, but their starting rotation is perilously thin due to
injuries.
San Diego's only regular starting pitchers are Michael King and Walker Buehler,
forcing the team to throw three bullpen games per rotation turn with Griffin
Canning, Randy Vasquez and German Marquez anchoring the outings. Even after a
surprisingly strong start to the season, San Diego's rotation has posted an
ugly 4.66 ERA this year.
Opening Day starter Nick Pivetta has been out since April with a right elbow
injury, but he is on track to return in late August. Earl season acquisition
Lucas Giolito has been out since late June with elbow soreness, while veteran
Joe Musgrove has not pitched this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in
October 2024. Right-hander Yu Darvish is also out for the season.
The rotation woes contributed to a midseason slide that had the Padres looking
like likely deadline sellers, with hard-selling closer Mason Miller possibly on
the block. Ray's acquisitioned signaled that Preller is back in buyer mode.
Mendez and Hernandez were considered to be two of the top 10 prospects
remaining in Preller's system, which has been decimated by years of deadline
deals to chase this franchise's first championship with a roster built around
sluggers Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.
The Padres have made the playoffs in four of the past six seasons, a first in
franchise history, but have reached just one NL Championship Series.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
|
