The Giants have moved on from Robbie Ray, sending the left-hander to the Padres in a deadline deal that brings back right-hander Miguel Mendez and shortstop Joniel Hernandez, according to multiple reports.
San Francisco and San Diego will also split the rest of Ray’s salary, along with the $1 million bonus he gets for being traded, per reports. The clubs have not officially announced the swap.
Ray’s exit closes a short but meaningful Giants run. Acquired a year and a half ago from the Mariners, he arrived as a gamble: still working back from elbow surgeries and carrying the weight of a five-year, $115 million contract.
The Giants knew the risk. They also knew the upside if he got right.
He did.
The former Cy Young winner leaves San Francisco with a 24-16 record and a 3.54 ERA in 61 appearances, piling up 336 strikeouts over 335 2/3 innings. This season, he posted a 3.08 ERA and 4.51 FIP across 122 2/3 innings. His latest outing came last Thursday against San Diego, when he threw six innings of one-run ball.
That start now looks like his final one in a Giants uniform, something Ray acknowledged before the deadline picture fully came into focus.
“With the trade deadline coming up, I just tried to put everything out of my head as far as leading up to this start,” Ray said on Thursday. “Obviously, it comes up now that this could be my last start in a Giants uniform.”
The Giants are getting a pitcher with real swing-and-miss traits in Mendez. The 23-year-old is ranked as San Diego’s No. 10 prospect by Baseball America and has spent nearly all of this season with Double-A San Diego, where he put up a 4.93 ERA in 11 starts with 38 strikeouts over 34 2/3 innings.
At 6-foot-3, Mendez works with a fastball in the mid-to-high 90s and backs it up with a plus slider and changeup. He has racked up strikeouts at every minor league stop, totaling 368 over 328 2/3 career innings. The concerns are just as clear: a 12.8 percent walk rate and several weeks missed this season because of a shoulder issue.
Still, he fits the profile of what the Giants have been stockpiling. Earlier Monday, they added right-handers Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair in the deal that sent National League batting leader Luis Arraez to Philadelphia. Last month, they used their first three picks in the amateur draft on pitchers, taking Jackson Flora, Carson Bolemon and Kaden Waechter.
Hernandez gives the return a different kind of upside. The 17-year-old shortstop is San Diego’s No. 21 prospect, according to Baseball America, and signed for $1.4 million out of Cuba. His athleticism stands out most, and he hit .303/.424/.503 with four home runs, four steals and 43 RBIs in 41 games in the Dominican Summer League.
Ray is the latest Giant to go in a flurry of moves. Arraez was dealt earlier Monday, and right-handed starter Tyler Mahle was sent to the Braves on Sunday night.
Now the Giants have to figure out the rotation without Ray and Mahle. Adrian Houser is one option.
He began the year in the rotation after signing a two-year deal in the offseason, but after posting a 5.73 ERA in 14 starts, he was bumped to the bullpen. There, he has turned in a 2.10 ERA over 25 2/3 innings.
The Giants could also look at using an opener with Houser, a route they did not take before the move.
Another possibility is Blade Tidwell, the 25-year-old rookie right-hander acquired from the Mets in the Tyler Rogers trade last year. Tidwell has made eight appearances for San Francisco this season, all in relief, but spent most of the year starting for Sacramento. In 16 games, including 15 starts, for the River Cats, he posted a 4.38 ERA and 4.89 FIP over 72 innings, striking out more than a quarter of the hitters he faced while fighting command issues.
Ray’s Giants story began with a return from serious elbow rehab that started in Seattle and continued in San Francisco. He debuted in the second half of 2024 and, as expected, had his ups and downs, finishing that stretch with a 4.70 ERA over seven starts. But the strikeouts were there - 43 in 30 2/3 innings - and so was the promise.
That promise turned into a strong first half in 2025. Ray earned his second All-Star selection and delivered one of the best stretches of his career before fading late. He still finished his only full season in San Francisco with an 11-8 record and a 3.65 ERA over 182 1/3 innings.
His 2026 season got off to a shaky start, but he finished on a tear, allowing just a 1.09 ERA over his last eight outings, with 41 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings. That surge boosted his trade value right as the deadline pressure hit.
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For the Giants, the deal naturally shifts the conversation to Robbie Ray and what his own market might look like if they decide to move him. San Francisco has already dipped into that trade lane recently with the acquisition of reliever Anthony Molina, so the front office knows how quickly deadlines can turn into roster shuffles. Gausmans return is the kind of benchmark that can shape expectations, even if the Giants still have to decide how far they want to push the idea. [Read more 🡒]