The Toronto Blue Jays lost Robbie Ray to free agency after he won the 2021 American League Cy Young Award.
Toronto acquired the left-hander from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 31, 2020.
Ray made five appearances for Toronto that season, including four starts. He went 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA in 20 2/3 innings.
He then re-signed with the Blue Jays on a one-year, $8 million deal and turned it into a Cy Young season.
Ray went 13-7 with a 2.84 ERA in 32 starts in 2021. He struck out a major league-leading 248 batters in 193 1/3 innings. He also led the AL in ERA, innings pitched and WHIP (1.045).
He received 29 of 30 first-place votes in the Cy Young balloting, becoming the first Blue Jays pitcher to win the award since Roy Halladay in 2003.
Ray declined Toronto’s one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer after the season. He chose to test free agency instead.
Toronto committed big money to right-hander Kevin Gausman. The Blue Jays agreed to a five-year, $110 million deal with Gausman on Nov. 28, 2021. The next day, Ray agreed to a five-year, $115 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.
Five years later, Ray is a free agent again.
Robbie Ray Hits Free Agency Again
Ray became a free agent Thursday, one day after the Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series.
He split the 2026 season between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. The Giants traded him to San Diego on Aug. 3.
The pitcher turned 35 on Oct. 1. He debuted with the Detroit Tigers in 2014. He has pitched parts of 13 major league seasons for six teams, owning a career 101-89 record with a 3.90 ERA and 1,874 strikeouts.
Ray has earned more than $139.4 million in his career, according to Spotrac. Most of that money came after he left Toronto.
The Mariners’ five-year, $115 million deal included an opt-out after the third season. He made one start in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Seattle traded him to San Francisco in January 2024. He declined his opt-out after the 2024 season and kept the final two years and $50 million.
Kevin Gausman Also Hits the Open Market
Gausman is also a free agent after his five-year, $110 million contract expired.
Toronto traded the right-hander to the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 2. They received outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene.
Gausman made clear before the trade that he wanted to stay. He called coming to Toronto “the best decision I ever made” after his final start with the club Aug. 1.
He told The Athletic earlier this year that retiring after 2026 was “definitely a possibility.” After the Cubs’ elimination, he left his future open.
“I need to talk with my wife and figure that out,” Gausman said.
The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reported in early October that a Toronto reunion seemed likely if Gausman kept playing. Gausman then listed his Toronto home for sale in late October.
Ex-Blue Jays Cy Young Winner Now a Free Agent After $140 Million in Career Earnings