MLB trade grades: Robbie Ray to Giants as Mariners make double deal

When thinking about potential trades the Seattle Mariners could make this offseason, there was a lot of talk revolving around their young starters like Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo. There were even minimal whispers surrounding their ace, Luis Castillo. Not one report mentioned the name Robbie Ray, but here we are.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Seattle Mariners were sending former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani in a shocking trade.

The magic did not stop there, as minutes later, the Mariners opted to ship infielder Jose Caballero to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Luke Raley.

Robbie Ray trade details: Mariners trade former Cy Young winner to Giants in three-team trade

Giants trade grade: A

The Giants pulled off this big move acquiring a former Cy Young winner in exchange for Haniger and DeSclafani. The reason they were able to do that is quite simple. Ray underwent Tommy John Surgery this past season and is going to miss a good amount of this upcoming year. He's expected to return sometime around the All-Star break, giving San Francisco a couple of months to make a push with Ray if his recovery goes to plan.

With the southpaw having an opt-out after this season, it's very possible the Giants only get Ray for a couple of months. Even if that's the case, they still get an A. The reason why is because they gave up nothing of import to get this done.

Mitch Haniger was signed last offseason while they were pursuing Aaron Judge. The Judge pursuit ended poorly, and the oft-injured Haniger put up a .631 OPS in 61 games. There's a good chance he'll be more productive in 2024, but with San Francisco signing Jung Hoo Lee to join Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, and Austin Slater in their outfield, they don't really need Haniger anyway.

The other piece in the deal, DeSclafani, was good in San Francisco in 2021 but has struggled to stay healthy since, and posted a 4.88 ERA in 19 starts for them this past season. The Giants got Ray and his upside for virtually nothing. Good business.

Seattle Mariners trade grade: D+

The Mariners were the most active team in this three-team trade burst, completing deals with the Giants and Rays. The Giants deal is a puzzler. Yes, they get out of the remainder of Ray's contract, but this is just another example of Seattle crying poor. They might not have needed Ray with all of the pitching that they have, but they could've traded a young starter for a position player that they do need.

Mitch Haniger will step into one of their vacant corner outfield spots. They'll hope he can stay healthy, but nothing about Haniger's track record suggests that'll happen. As for DeSclafani, he looks like a long reliever at this point for Seattle. Perhaps they flip him elsewhere, but he's nothing special of an addition either.

What saves this from being an F for Seattle is the addition of Luke Raley. The 29-year-old Raley broke out this past season for Tampa Bay, and can be part of the solution for Seattle in their other corner outfield spot, likely left field. Giving up just Caballero to get him is good business.

Tampa Bay Rays trade grade: C

If there's one thing baseball fans know, it's to never doubt the Tampa Bay Rays. They always have something up their sleeve. Luke Raley might've looked really impressive this past season, but there has to be a reason the Rays are trading him, right? Still, it's hard to see where this makes much sense for Tampa.

While Jose Caballero gives the Rays much-needed infield depth with Wander Franco's absence, he had just a .663 OPS in his first taste of the majors this past season. He comes with tons of team control and did steal 26 bases for Seattle, but the Rays gave up an impressive hitter in Raley for one who didn't show much in Caballero. The fact that it fills a need helps the Rays earn a C for their part of this deal.