The Giants have made their first big trade of the 2023 MLB offseason.
ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported Friday, citing sources, that San Francisco has acquired veteran left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani.
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The Giants made the move official shortly after, adding that they also will send cash considerations to the Mariners as part of the deal.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters on a post-trade conference call that San Francisco will send $6 million to Seattle to balance out the financial impact for both teams.
Ray, 32, missed most of the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and a flexor tendon repair on his left elbow in May, but he posted a 12-12 record with a 3.71 ERA with 212 strikeouts in 189 innings pitched for the Mariners in 2022.
San Francisco Giants
Ray is expected to be out until midway through the 2024 season as he continues his rehab.
Ray won the AL Cy Young Award with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 after posting an impressive 13-7 record with 248 strikeouts and a 2.84 ERA in 193 1/3 innings pitched, which led him to sign a five-year, $115 million contract with the Mariners in December 2021.
Ray is owed $23 million in 2024 and $25 million in 2025 and 2026, but he can opt out of the remainder of his contract next offseason.
Haniger, along with outfielder Michael Conforto, were the Giants' two biggest offseason additions last winter. The oft-injured slugger struggled to stay healthy in his first season with San Francisco after signing a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Giants.
Haniger batted an underwhelming .209/.266/.365 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 61 games (211 at-bats) between multiple stints on the injured list last year. The 33-year-old now will return to the organization where he spent five seasons and made a name for himself as one of the league's best hitters.
DeSclafani, 33, was one of the Giants' best starting pitchers during their 107-win 2021 campaign, going 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 31 starts. However, he struggled to stay healthy in each of the two previous seasons, suffering season-ending ankle and elbow injuries in 2022 and 2023, respectively, that limited him to just 24 total games pitched.
While Ray could provide the Giants with impressive starting pitching depth at some point this summer, he and veteran righty Alex Cobb being sidelined until midway through the season should open the door for another addition alongside ace Logan Webb this offseason.