In an intriguing move, the Giants and Mariners agreed to a trade Friday that sent starter Robbie Ray to San Francisco in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger, starter Anthony DeSclafani and money considerations.
Ray, who won the 2021 American League Cy Young Award during his time with the Blue Jays, will likely miss the start of the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in early May last year. The 32-year-old made just one start for Seattle last season before being sidelined due to injury. He has three years left on his contract and is worth $73 million, although he has an opt-out option after the 2024 season.
Haniger returns to Seattle after playing for the Mariners from 2017-22. He posted an .817 OPS and hit a career-high 107 homers over those six seasons, including a career-high 39 homers in 2021. However, Haniger's playing time has been severely limited by injuries over the last two years, as he missed more than 100 games both seasons. He batted .209 with six home runs and 28 RBIs in 61 games with the Giants in 2023. Haniger has two years and $36.5 million remaining on the three-year contract he signed with San Francisco before the 2023 season. An opt-out will be available to him after the 2024 campaign.
DeSclafani, 32, went 4-8 with a 4.88 ERA in 19 games for San Francisco last season. Like Ray, his best season was 2021, when he went 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 31 games for the Giants. DeSclafani, who would make $12 million in the final year of his contract, missed the final two months of last season with a right elbow flexor strain.
In a later deal, the Mariners agreed to acquire outfielder Luke Raley from the Rays for infielder José Caballero, according to a report from the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. (The teams have not confirmed this.) Raley hit .249 with 19 home runs and 14 steals in 118 games for Tampa Bay. Caballero hit .221 with 26 steals in 104 games with Seattle in his first major league appearance.