Padres acquire veteran pitcher Robbie Ray in trade with Giants

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ray-robbie/4lM9mCii/"]Ray[/a], 34, has only given up three runs in his last four starts with 21 strikeouts in 21 innings. The two-time All-Star is on track to have his best season since winning the Cy Young Award in 2021. [/p][p]He's tossing a 3.08 ERA through 21 starts with 102 strikeouts in 122.2 innings, giving up 101 hits and 57 walks. [/p][embed guid="f783c458-b21e-41d3-917c-732afb8802a0" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2084349098828648493?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The 13-year vet will be heading to his sixth team after spending two-and-a-half years with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-francisco-giants/bRZ9b6xj/"]Giants[/a]. Originally selected in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Ray made his debut with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kansas-city-royals/IL2QbgJ4/"]Tigers[/a] in 2014. [/p][p]But after a brutal nine games in which he gave up 26 runs in 28.2 innings, Ray would move on to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arizona-diamondbacks/8bP2bXmH/"]Arizona Diamondbacks[/a] a year later, where he would stay for the next five-and-a-half years before the team traded him to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toronto-blue-jays/zcDLaZ3b/"]Toronto Blue Jays[/a] in 2020. [/p][p]In 2021 with Toronto, Ray won his only Cy Young Award after leading the American League in ERA (2.84), WAR (6.9), and innings pitched (193.1), while also leading all of baseball with 248 strikeouts. [/p][p]But that would end his time with the Jays as Ray moved on to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/seattle-mariners/txYPhSac/"]Seattle Mariners[/a] for the next two years. After a solid 2022 season with the M's, Ray would only start in one game for them in 2023 as he underwent Tommy John surgery, ultimately bleeding into his first year with the Giants (2024), where he started in only seven games before returning to form in 2025.[/p][h2]Giants' Return[/h2][p]Mendez, 24, has a 4.79 ERA through 12 starts (11 in Double-A, 1 in Single-A) with 39 strikeouts in 35.9 innings. He had an 8.06 ERA in eight starts in Double-A last season. [/p][p]Hernandez, 17, is slashing .303/.424/.503 with four home runs, 43 RBI, and four steals in 41 games in the foreign rookie league.[/p][infobox id="3e982646-21d3-4baf-ac34-10f731dff476" /]