Farhan Zaidi’s time as president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants was often debated. However, his trade for pitcher Robbie Ray last year has proven to be a valuable final move for the team.
Ray delivered another strong performance on Sunday against the Washington Nationals. He pitched six solid innings, allowing just one run, helping the Giants win the game and take the series in Washington, D.C.
With this outing, Ray’s season record improved to 7-0 in 11 starts, boasting a 2.56 ERA. He has been nearly unstoppable, reminiscent of his 2021 Cy Young Award-winning form with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Giants now enjoy a powerful pitching duo with Logan Webb and Ray leading the rotation.
This success traces back to Zaidi’s savvy trade in January 2024, when the Giants acquired Ray from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony DeSclafani. Haniger is currently without a team, and DeSclafani has struggled with injuries, recently signing a minor league deal with the New York Yankees.
While Zaidi faced criticism for some signings and decisions during his tenure, this trade clearly worked out well. It was a forward-thinking move, considering Ray missed most of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Now, a year after surgery, Ray’s arm looks strong, and his confidence is high. For the Giants to enjoy sustained success this season, their starting pitching will need to perform at this level.
Though Zaidi was dismissed before seeing the full impact of this trade, he deserves credit for making a deal that has greatly benefited the Giants.
