Giants' bet on Ray pays off with All-Star nod alongside Webb

The Giants’ trade for Robbie Ray required a bit of long-term vision.

When the deal with the Mariners was announced in January 2024, Ray was in the middle of a grueling rehab from Tommy John and flexor tendon surgery. It wasn’t a given that the veteran left-hander would recapture the Cy Young form he showed for the Blue Jays in 2021, but the Giants felt his upside was worth gambling on.

“Robbie is obviously a big piece for us and fills what we saw as the ideal of a No. 2 starter who had a different style than Logan Webb but complemented him well,” former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said after sending outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani to Seattle to complete the exchange.

Zaidi is no longer with the organization, but the Giants are now reaping the benefits of perhaps the most impactful trade of his six-year run in San Francisco. In his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, Ray has reestablished himself as one of the top starters in the Majors, earning his second career All-Star nod alongside Webb and giving the Giants the elite tandem they first envisaged 18 months ago.

Between Webb, Ray and breakout reliever Randy Rodríguez, the Giants are sending three pitchers to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2011. It’s a fitting honor for a club that has leaned heavily on its arms to stay competitive in the bruising National League West this year.

“We knew coming into this year that pitching was going to carry us,” Ray said. “It’s kind of what we pride ourselves on in this organization.”

With Webb and Ray at the top of the rotation, the Giants have arguably the best 1-2 punch in baseball, which is one of the reasons the club believes it can make a deep playoff run in 2025.

“I can’t think of anyone else that I would want,” right fielder Mike Yastrzemski said. “I think those guys are as good and as consistent as you could ever hope for.”

“Every time Webby and Robbie go out there, we know we’re going to be in a good spot to win,” catcher Patrick Bailey said.

It took some time for the Giants’ idealized rotation plans to come to life, though. Webb was excellent as usual in 2024, but Ray endured his ups and downs after returning from his double surgery last July, logging a 4.70 ERA over seven starts before suffering a season-ending left hamstring strain.

This year has been a different story, with Webb and Ray each amid possibly their best seasons yet. Webb, 28, finished the first half with a 2.94 ERA and 139 strikeouts over an NL-high 125 2/3 innings. Ray, 33, has a 2.65 ERA with 128 strikeouts over 119 innings, the lowest first-half mark of his 12-year career.

With back-to-back All-Star nods under his belt, Webb appears to be well into his prime, but he said it was special to share his latest selection with Ray, who is heading back to the Midsummer Classic for the first time since 2017.

“I love watching Robbie throw so much,” Webb said. “Especially after all the stuff he had to come back from and the injury. I know he wasn’t happy with last year. For me, I just enjoy it every time he’s out there. The tight pants, the grunts. He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. It’s a pleasure to watch him throw.”

Ray was equally complimentary of his co-ace.

“He’s been exactly who we all expect him to be,” Ray said of Webb. “It doesn’t surprise any of us because we know what he’s capable of, but it’s really fun to watch.”

As Zaidi predicted, the pair has consistently delivered with their distinct modes of dominance on the mound. Webb is a right-handed sinkerballer who has started to miss more bats after making better use of his cutter and four-seam fastball this year. Ray is a fastball-dominant lefty who primarily pitches up in the zone and bolstered his arsenal with a Tarik Skubal-inspired changeup this season.

They have their own unique quirks on their game days, too. Webb has been known to down three Red Bulls before his starts and favors a pregame playlist heavy on Limp Bizkit and new-school rap. Ray tends to stick to the same denim-forward outfits -- jorts for home starts, all denim on the road -- and blasts classic rock like Bob Seger, as well as some country.

But the veterans approach their bump days with the same steely focus and determination of any dogged competitor. Webb currently leads the Majors with 15 quality starts, and the Giants have gone 15-5 behind Ray this year.

“It just feels like win day,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It certainly takes a lot of pressure off everybody else when they pitch at that kind of level.”