The Blue Jays have acquired lefty Robbie Ray from the Diamondbacks, tweets Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. The D’Backs will receive southpaw Travis Bergen in return, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Arizona will also be sending over $300K in cash, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Ray has approximately $1.42MM left on his contract this year.
Ray, 29 in October, has pitched the vast majority of his career for Arizona after they acquired him in a December 2014 three-team trade. He’s long been one of the game’s top strikeout pitchers, with an 11.9 K/9 mark that ranks third in MLB for qualified starters from 2016-19. Never known for his control, walks have become problematic at times for Ray. The issue has been particularly bad in this brief 2020 season, as Ray has issued free passes to more than a fifth of the batters he’s faced, easily the highest rate in MLB this year. The result has been an unsightly 7.84 ERA, through seven starts, well out of line with his career work. Ray will be eligible for free agency after the season, and in light of his performance this year, it’s unlikely the Diamondbacks would have been willing to issue a qualifying offer.
At present, the 18-14 Blue Jays are in line to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Ray marks the second addition to Toronto’s rotation in five days, as Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations & General Manager Ross Atkins added Taijuan Walker from the Mariners last Thursday. Atkins has assembled a veteran group, which also includes offseason pickups Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark, and Chase Anderson. Matt Shoemaker went down last week due to a lat strain, while uber-prospect Nate Pearson went on the shelf on August 19th for a flexor strain. That pair hopes to return this year, while Trent Thornton is out for the season with an elbow injury. The club will hope pitching coach Pete Walker can diagnose Rays’ control issues and help him bounce back over the season’s final month.
Today will mark the third time in Ray’s career he’s received that life-changing phone call from his GM informing him of a trade. After being drafted by the Nationals in the 12th round in 2010, Ray was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Doug Fister from the Tigers to the Nats in 2013. Just a year later, Ray landed with the Diamondbacks in a deal that sent Didi Gregorius to the Yankees and Shane Greene to the Tigers. Ray blossomed into a fine pitcher for the D’Backs, putting together four separate seasons of at least 2.3 WAR and snagging an All-Star nod and seventh-place Cy Young finish in 2017. By the 2018-19 offseason, Ray was a regular on the rumor circuit, but Executive Vice President & General Manager Mike Hazen didn’t pull the trigger until today, with most of the lefty’s trade value lost.
Bergen, 27 in October, was drafted by the Jays in the seventh round in 2015 out of Kennesaw State and has been used mostly in relief in his pro career. Though the Giants picked up Bergen in the 2018 Rule 5 draft, they wound up designating him for assignment and returning him in August of last year after he returned from an IL stint for a shoulder injury. His fastball ticked up to 93.7 mph this year for the Jays, more than three miles per hour than he showed in his rookie campaign. But with all due respect to Bergen, it would appear this trade was mainly about salary relief from Arizona’s standpoint.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Whoa wow
As a reliever? Not the best stats as a starter this year
Maybe the Jays can fix his gross arm action/throwing motion.
Nobody should be judging a starter who has over 800 innings by his first 30 innings of this year. It’s an insignificant sample size.
There’s something to be said about 30 innings where a guy simply cannot throw strikes. I’ve thought for years that Ray should be moved to the pen. Control has always been an issue but the stuff he has is nasty.
Toronto could employ the opener strategy and use Ray as a weapon in that capacity. Either as the 3-4 inning length guy or the opener himself. Depending on the matchup and how well Ray is throwing strikes.
Nobody should have judged Rick Ankiel for his 2000 playoff performance. It was an insignificant sample size.
Ray’s control is a problem. It cannot be ignored.
You’re both kind of right here, 30 innings is nothing for a sample size but if you look at side by side of his pitching motion you can see something has changed from 2019 to 2020. That said I’m not sure that pointing out a 20 year old case helps the conversation..
twitter.com/i/status/1284885601486082049
The link is a side by side,
Ya, his arm action is now gross!
In a normal season, a SP’s 1st 30 ip isn’t THAT significant. However, this year is NOT a NORMAL season. The season is ONLY 60 games (aka 2 months). So his FIRST 30 ip’s are PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. Can he get straightened out? Stay tuned in & we’ll see.
lol whats with capitalizing all these random words? Do you speak like that too? Like you just excitingly say random words in a sentence?
Haha… I actually just lol’ed at this comment. I’m ALL FOR using capital LETTERS at TIMES for EMPHASIS! But I’ve got to say in this case it was a LITTLE over the TOP! hahaha
I’ve gotten to watch Ray his entire stay here in AZ. He has been a roller coaster over just about all of those 800 innings. He’s trick or treat, which the Jays will soon find out. The number of pitches he throws per inning and the number of walks he hands out make him an unreliable reliever at best.
Maybe, but other than his great season of 2017 he’s been mostly average anyway, almost completely because of control issues. So – to see those exacerbated this year does NOT seem like an outlier, just an extension of an existing problem. Yes – if anyone could figure him out, he’d be amazing, but he doesn’t seem to be able to throw strikes enough.
yes and no, his numbers last year are in decline too – I imagine that is why he only fetches a reliever that the giants had and returned on a rule 5 draft….
But even if you “fix” those clearly more flawed pitching mechanics. Ray is a guy who averages 4BB/9 over his career. He’s been trending in the 4.5-5 BB/9 range more recently.
Ray has never been strong with his control. Makes him an obvious bullpen candidate. That’s why the 30 innings this year aren’t insignificant by any means. This isn’t a guy w/ strong control who has just gotten out of wack w/ his mechanics this year. It’s been an issue.
If I were trading for someone with a year or two left in his contract, all things being equal, his recent career numbers trump.
But if I only have a guy for one month, then I think his last month’s numbers trump. With only 5 starts left, I’d need a reason to think his next 5 starts will be better than his last 5 starts.
I still like the trade for TO, because they gave up very little, and because the upside is still pretty high.
Didn’t see that coming
Will we ever see a hitter moved today as the main part of a trade?
Back to this trade, this is a great deal for Toronto to pick up a much needed starter, although he could come out of the pen for them. I wonder what the return will end up being…
Whatever you Caleb, don’t google Robbie Ray. You’re riding too high. I never want to see it end.
Caleb Clark, There were a couple, but I definitely see your point.
I saw this stat the other day that might explain it. After the 1st 31 games in 2018, 43 pitchers had gone on the IL. After the 1st 31 games in 2019, there were 51 pitchers on the IL. This season after the 1st 31 games, there were 98 pitchers that made it to the IL and that doesn’t include anything COVID-related.
Pitching is gold every season, but more so this season with the injuries and an expanded playoff format where more teams than normal think they can make it.
SWR in the deal?
His numbers are bad hopefully he’s in the pen
Wonder what the Jays gave up – he’s been pretty awful for the past year and a half. His control issues combined with playing in more hitters parks in the AL East doesn’t seem to be a great fit.
Depends what they gave up to get him. I really do not want to see McGuire go because I think he is a better catcher than Jansen but he is the name that keeps popping up in rumors.
What??? I knew Ray was doing badly but only Bergen given up? Nice deal for the Jays.
And cash!
Wow, that was very unexpected, only Travis Bergen going the other way so far so I think it’s a pretty solid trade
Do they get Kloffenstein from
Toronto
No
I’d be pretty floored if they gave up Kloffenstein. Nothing against Ray and I’m pleased to have him, but Kloffenstein would be too much even for a 1 for 1 deal.
So far it’s Robbie Ray for a lefty reliever the Jays had no faith in or gave a real chance. That said, not horrible. I do hope Bergen shines in Zona. He was never highly regarded by Toronto.
Thought he’d be heading to Houston. TOR will probably try to extend him in the offseason.
Smart grab. Move ray to the pen and let him be a multi inning weapon. He never had the control to be a starter in the long term.
That is a dub bergen although I liked him they have Boruki, Kay, and pannone as lefties to use in the bullpen
Dbacks should make him walk to buffalo
Another arm who AA left with a low cost, and get milone for 2 prospects LOL.
GL to Toronto.
Great for Sox!
I think Minor has the better chance at bouncing back, but if that’s all it costs, I guess you may as well take a shot at them being able to straighten out his problems.
just Bergen? seems like a lose lose to be honest.
Just Bergen but it’s a lose-lose? Toronto is trying to compete this season and they trade a middle reliever for a guy with a solid arm and strong track record.
Hard to see how they lose. If Ray sucks then it cost them a middle reliever. Pretty small gamble
because Ray could bomb like he had earlier in Arizona and you end up saying “Bergen would have pitched better”
Can’t call this trade a lose-lose when Bergen was never given an opportunity. He deserved better from Toronto. Toronto had no confidence in him and treated him as such.
Ray was so highly regarded last deadline and in 2018. Toronto buying on a low, like it.
Huge upside, low cost. I like it for Jay’s.
Great buy for the jays, if they keep ray to 2 innings he should be very effective out of the pen, especially eight that strikeout rate
Guess no one but Toronto wanted him lol
Too many walks and too many HRs. That’s how you get an ERA of 8 and traded for a middle reliever.
2 WHIP is pretty pretty pretty good.
AZ sending money too. Paying to just be done with him
Absolute disgrace by Dbacks
Woulda been fun if he went to Tampa. Ray to the Rays!
Low risk move for the Jays. Best case – he comes around some in the next month and becomes a decent #4-5 , Worse case replaces another pen arm.
I wonder what his velo would hit coming out of the pen.
Looking how Roark did yesterday, cruising along until the the fifth ,i wonder if they may start using an opener more or piggybacking guys like Hatch/Kay/Yama with guys like Roark/Anderson/now Ray .
I liked Bergen but Bill is right, Jays never gave him a real chance even though he was lights out in the his minors career.
One of the few recent cases where AZ didn’t max out someone’s value.
A bit like Pivetta for the RS. TO could get lucky and unlock some value. Maybe his agent can all him and remind him that his next contract depends a lot on his next 5 games.
The rest of MLB knows something if you get Ray for a AAAA player.
What a waste for the d-backs… if they had traded him at either of the last 2 trade deadlines or off-seasons they probably could’ve gotten a significant haul for him. But now with how poorly he’s pitched this year they’re basically just dumping his salary.
That goes for half the players in baseball. If only we knew two years ago what we know now….
I am quite shocked the Yankees did not acquire him with their long-time interest in him, their need for pitching, and this relatively small return asking price.
I’m sure the Yankees will pick up yet another utility infielder with comeback potential though…. ugh.