The Atlanta Braves own the best record in the National League at 36-17 and currently sit comfortably atop the NL East with a 9.5-game lead. Atlanta is also in the middle of a three-game home series against the Washington Nationals.
With a little more than two months left before the MLB trade deadline, speculation is beginning to build around potential players who could be on the move. One name that has recently emerged in trade rumors is Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants.
If Atlanta is looking to further strengthen its rotation for a postseason push, Ray is certainly a pitcher worth considering — especially if the Braves can acquire him at a reasonable price.
In a recent piece for FanSided.com, MLB writer Wynston Wilcox mentions the Braves as a team that could be in play for Giants’ southpaw starter Robbie Ray:
“This makes sense for a couple of reasons. For one, the San Francisco Giants could look to offload Robbie Ray if their season continues to sputter under first-year coach Tony Vitello; they may be forced to offload some players to get something in return and sell at the deadline. The Braves have managed to make it a couple months into the season without getting exposed by lack of pitching depth. Adding Ray to the rotation gives them a little more depth.”
The reason Robbie Ray has emerged in recent trade discussions is that he’s on an expiring five-year, $115 million contract. Robbie Ray is a durable starter and is a few years removed from winning the AL Cy Young.
Atlanta has received some great contributions from starters like Martin Perez, Bryce Elder, and Grant Holmes, but after Chris Sale and Spencer Strider, how reliable will Braves starters be for the rest of the season? The next question becomes what could get trade to the Giants to get a deal done for Ray? It shouldn’t be much, because Ray has posted a 4.28 ERA this season over 54 innings, and doesn’t look as sharp as he has in previous seasons.
What Could Braves Trade in Potential Robbie Ray Deal?
The Atlanta Braves don’t have the deepest farm system in baseball, but they do have attractive arms and young talent that the Giants may be willing to bite on. Those players include prospects like Owen Murphy and Alex Lodise.
JR Ritchie is likely an untouchable prospect at this point, but if the Giants are going to rebuild, they would want young, projectable players.
While it may seem far-fetched now, remember that the Giants pulled off one of the biggest trades of the entire 2025 cycle last June when they dealt away Rafael Devers to the Red Sox.
