The San Diego Padres acquired left-hander Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants on Monday in a trade that sends right-hander Miguel Mendez and 17-year-old shortstop Joniel Hernandez to San Francisco. Ray, 34 and an impending free agent, will slot atop San Diego’s rotation alongside Michael King after posting a 3.08 ERA in 122 2/3 innings this season for the Giants. The Giants will pay half of Ray’s remaining money, including half of a $1 million assignment bonus. Mendez, a former $10,000 international signee who reached the Padres’ 40-man roster after a breakout 2025 at High-A Ft. Wayne, throws an upper-90s fastball with a slider and developing changeup but has dealt with shoulder issues and a 4.93 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 11 Double-A starts this year. Hernandez, a top-20 international prospect who signed for a $1.4 million bonus in January, was hitting .303 with a .424 on-base percentage in 38 Dominican Summer League games and adds infield depth to a Giants pipeline that already features Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernández. The deal gives the Padres an immediate frontline starter to support a rotation that had leaned on Michael King and Walker Buehler during a recent run while the Giants receive two young, controllable pieces they can use to rebuild pitching depth and retool a struggling bullpen.
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