The San Francisco Giants gambled by sending Robbie Ray, a veteran southpaw, to a division rival.
While Robbie Ray is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, is there a world where the San Diego Padres re-sign him?
That's the reality the San Francisco Giants must live in after they traded him on Monday, August 3.
San Francisco knew they had to be active at the trade deadline, and that included moving on from Ray. It's not like he was going to guide them out of a fourth-place finish in the National League West, and now that they traded Luis Arraez, it's clear the fire sale is in full effect.
The Giants are currently 11 games back on the Padres in the division, and that's quite a wide gap to have between the third and fourth place team. San Diego certainly has a big budget; it's just a matter of whether they'd be able to find the money to extend Ray after 2026. Even if they don't, it's interesting these two teams decided to make a deal with a few hours remaining. Numerous teams were interested in Ray, but he ended up staying in the division.
Ray could become a nightmare for the Giants to face
At this point in time, all the Giants can do is look at what they got in return. They can't focus on years down the line if they're stuck facing Ray a few times a year, because in the grand scheme of things, the odds of the Padres not just using him as a rental seem to be quite low.
Ultimately, the Giants are no stranger to facing Ray. They did so from 2015-2020 when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, so what's the big deal about potentially having to face the 34-year-old again in the years to come?
Ray is set to play for a third team in this division, but the Giants got a really solid pitcher in return, so this deal should be considered a win, even if they somehow have to face him during a three-game slate from September 11-13.
Giants bring in another No. 4 pitching prospect
Earlier in the day, the Giants brought in the Philadelphia Phillies' No. 4 pitching prospect. Somehow, they did it again.
The Padres gave up No. 4 Miguel Mendez, but he's a lot further along than some of the other prospects they've brought in. In 11 starts this season, he sports a 2-2 record at the Double-A level with a 4.93 ERA. In his 328.2 career minor league innings, he has a 16-20 record with a 4.52 ERA.
