MLB world reacts to Robbie Ray’s new contract

2021 American League Cy Young winner Robbie Ray has cashed in, signing a five-year, $115-million deal with the Seattle Mariners, according to Jeff Passan.

Passan also reports that the deal will have an opt-out clause after the third season.

Ray dominated the American League with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, leading the league in ERA, starts, innings, WHIP, and strikeouts. Finishing 13-7, he won the Cy Young in a near-unanimous vote, receiving 29 of 30 first-place votes. It was quite the turnaround from the previous season when Ray finished 2-5 with a 6.62 ERA between the D’backs and Jays.

The Mariners will be Ray’s fourth MLB team in his eight-year career, joining the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays. He was also drafted by the Washington Nationals organization but never played for the team in the big leagues.

The Blue Jays will receive draft-pick compensation for the move because Ray rejected their qualifying offer earlier this month.

For the Mariners, it’s a big move as they attempt to build on the momentum of a strong 2021 season that saw them just barely miss the playoffs. They’ll also need to keep pace with the Houston Astros, who won the AL West and played in the World Series.

Meanwhile, reactions are in from MLB folks on Twitter and they’re pretty positive overall (unless you’re a Toronto fan).

We’ll see if Ray will be able to follow up his Cy Young season and prove he can be a consistently great pitcher. If so, he might just give the Mariners what they need in order to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

[Jeff Passan]