SEATTLE — The Mariners made yet another major move to cut the team's payroll Friday, trading Robbie Ray to the San Francisco Giants for longtime Mariner Mitch Haniger and pitcher Anthony DeSclafani.
Ray still had roughly $70 million on the contract he signed with the Mariners in free agency a few years ago. Ray only made one start for Seattle in 2023, before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon.
Coming back from the Giants is Haniger, who played for the Mariners from 2017-2022. In 61 games with San Francisco in 2023, Haniger hit .209 with 6 home runs and 28 RBI.
DeSclafani played the past three seasons with the Giants and had a 4-8 record with a 4.88 earned run average (ERA) in 2023. He is set to earn $12 million in 2024 per Spotrac, but his contract will expire at the end of the upcoming season.
Multiple reports have indicated the Mariners are working with a tighter payroll than expected entering 2024 due to issues with its regional sports network, ROOT Sports. The Mariners own 100% of the network but have not confirmed any finance-related issues with the organization.
Key contributors Eugenio Suarez, Marco Gonzales and Jarred Kelenic were all traded earlier this offseason for younger and cheaper players.
The team's most significant signing in the offseason so far was bringing in catcher Mitch Garver on a two-year contract. Garver helped the Mariners' division rival, the Texas Rangers, win the World Series in 2023 while hitting .270 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI.
