Mariners' Grant McCray claim adds intriguing minor piece to Seattle's empty outfield

The Mariners' first move of the offseason was claiming Michael Toglia off of waivers, an underwhelming move that doesn't exactly leave room for a lot of optimistic speculation. The team's second move was yet another waiver claim, picking up Grant McCray from the Giants.

For the past three years, McCray has spent the majority of his time in the minor leagues with occasional stints in the majors. He has accumulated a total of just 247 big-league plate appearances to subpar results which begs the obvious question — what do the Mariners see in him?

McCray was a third-round selection out of high school by the Giants in 2019 and remained one of their top 30 prospects for quite some time, peaking at No. 3 in 2023 behind Marco Luciano and Kyle Harrison. Unfortunately, his production in the minor leagues began to decline rapidly after reaching Triple-A. In 2025 and 2026, he posted a wRC+ of just 93 for the Sacramento River Cats.

Grant McCray has just enough potential to serve as a backup option for Seattle's outfield

Data from his most recent minor league season highlights a clear issue — he's too passive. He swung at just 64.4% of pitches in the zone and his zone contact rate was 81.0%. For a player with just slightly above-average quality of contact, this makes it exceptionally hard to be productive at the plate. Though this has allowed to reliably draw walks at a rate above 10% throughout his career, the lack of conviction in his swing makes him an easy target for higher level pitchers capable of filling up the zone.

Although the bat isn't necessarily his strong suit, his overall athleticism gives him the skillset needed to be quite a capable defender and baserunner. His sprint speed during his 2026 major league stint landed him in the 95th percentile, on par with notable players such as Chandler Simpson and David Hamilton. His arm strength was in the 98th percentile, averaging 96.0 mph across 70 throws, putting him ahead of players like Wilyer Abreu and Ronald Acuña Jr.

Despite his strong suits, don't expect him to be your Opening Day starter or even to get much playing time. Offense is the Mariners' greatest need, especially in the form of right-handed bats, and McCray is a left-handed hitter with below-average production in Triple-A. Nonetheless, waiver claims are rarely meant to bring core components to a roster and instead are often used simply to add depth.

In Seattle's case, the only certainty in their outfield is that Julio Rodríguez will be playing center field. Following the departure of Randy Arozarena and recent decision to decline the club option of Víctor Robles, there's no clarity on who will be manning the outfield corners. Aside from potentially Lázaro Montes, the current options don't seem particularly alluring.

Dominic Canzone has been outstanding over the past two years but has settled into being a designated hitter. Weston Wilson managed an OPS+ of just 61 for the Mariners last year and profiles similar to McCray but with less upside. Luke Raley hasn't come close to matching his 2024 numbers and with more injury concerns, it may never happen.

It's doubtful that McCray will be a major piece of Seattle's roster next year but he could add at least some value in a minor role such as a defensive substitute or pinch runner. He should be the first of several outfielders acquired by the Mariners this winter. Otherwise, if this is what the front office thinks will suffice as reloading for 2027, fans will be in for another year of familiar disappointment.

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