Giants' $115 million lefty starter is 'legitimate candidate' to be traded this year

The San Francisco Giants are off to a very poor start to the 2026 MLB Season, with the Tony Vitello experiment not going well at all.

They're 14-23, and tied at the bottom of the NL West. If things don't drastically improve, the Giants might be sellers at this year's trade deadline.

And according to MLB insider Robert Murray for Fansided.com, the Giants $115 million left-handed starter, Robbie Ray, has a good chance to be traded this year.

"The first year of Tony Vitello's tenure with the Giants has gotten off to a brutal start, and unless something changes, they look like obvious sellers at the deadline," Murray writes. "And Ray feels like a legitimate candidate to head elsewhere."

This lefty starter being on the move would not be a surprise for a few reasons, the main one being that this is the 34-year-old's last season under club control. The time is now to get something back for Ray.

Robbie Ray is a sensible trade candidate for the Giants

Ray will be a free agent after the season ends, and instead of the Giants simply losing him to free agency, which is very possible, the Giants would be better off trading him now.

Murray notes that Ray is a "legitimate candidate" to be traded, but the Giants should be more seriously considering a move for the former Cy Young winner.

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He has a 2.95 ERA this season and might be the best pitcher who could be traded this year. With plenty of teams in need of starting pitching, the Giants could get a strong return for their lefty ace.

If 2026 is going to be a disaster, they might as well set themselves up for some success in the long term. And nothing is stopping them from re-signing Ray in the offseason.

The Giants should absolutely consider trading Ray this season, as he's in the final year of his deal, is likely to draw a ton of interest, and barring a turnaround, there's little reason to hold onto Ray for the rest of the year.

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