Mariners Claim Outfielder Grant McCray Off Waivers From Giants

Seattle has added outfield depth for 2027 by claiming Grant McCray off waivers from San Francisco. The 25-year-old has struggled to hit in the majors, but his speed and remaining minor league option give the Mariners room to assess him without committing a big league roster spot. That makes this a low-cost roster bet in the ordinary baseball sense: Seattle gets a chance to see whether McCray’s tools can translate into useful production, while retaining the flexibility to send him to Triple-A.

Speed with room to develop

McCray, a third-round Giants pick in 2019, joined San Francisco’s 40-man roster late in 2024 and has moved between the majors and Triple-A since. Across 102 big league games and 247 plate appearances, he has hit .170/.235/.323. Those figures describe a hitter who hasn’t yet found a reliable way to reach base or produce consistent power against major league pitching. The sample is large enough to make the struggles relevant, but it doesn’t settle what kind of player he’ll become.

His speed is the clearest tool Seattle can point to. McCray’s sprint speed ranked in the 95th percentile among qualified players this year, and he’s stolen 13 career bases without being caught. Speed can create value on the bases and help an outfielder cover ground, but it doesn’t automatically make a player an effective defender or a productive hitter. His defensive metrics haven’t matched that speed so far, though there may be room for improvement. That gap is worth watching: Seattle will need to determine whether the raw athleticism can become reliable play in the field.

His minor league record offers a more encouraging offensive signal. From 2024 through 2026, McCray logged 1,185 plate appearances, striking out 26.7% of the time and walking at an 11.6% rate. He hit .246/.337/.420, good for a 101 wRC+. That line suggests a more balanced hitter than his major league results do, with a walk rate that points to some capacity to reach base even when he isn’t making consistent contact.

There’s a limit to what those minor league numbers can tell us. Performance in Triple-A doesn’t guarantee that a hitter can handle major league pitching, and McCray’s major league line shows how large that adjustment can be. Still, the contrast gives Seattle a question it can work on rather than a verdict it has to accept. If you're working in this space, the task is to identify whether the underlying approach can survive better pitching, not to treat one level’s statistics as a promise.

Seattle’s roster calculus

The Mariners say their 40-man roster stands at 35, though players on the 60-day injured list must be reinstated by Monday. RosterResource projects Seattle will have 43 players on its offseason count, including McCray. Those counts reflect different parts of the roster picture: the current total gives a snapshot, while the projected count includes players who may need to be accounted for as the offseason roster takes shape. The gap means Seattle has decisions ahead, even if McCray’s option gives the club a way to keep him without using an active major league spot.

The Giants face a more immediate squeeze: their projected count was 56 as of the morning of the claim, making his waiver placement one of several roster moves required this week. That context helps explain why a player with a notable tool and a remaining option can become available. A waiver claim is also a practical way for Seattle to add competition while San Francisco addresses its own roster count.

Seattle’s projected outfield includes Julio Rodríguez, Lazaro Montes, Dominic Canzone, Luke Raley and Brennen Davis. The club is likely to seek an outside addition after Randy Arozarena became a free agent.

That projected group puts McCray in a competitive picture, not an assured major league role. The names on the list don’t establish how Seattle will arrange its outfield or which players will be on the roster when the season begins. They do show why McCray’s option matters: the Mariners can keep evaluating him in the organization while sorting out the rest of the group.

What the claim means for 2027

McCray has an option remaining, so Seattle can keep him in Triple-A as depth in 2027. The Mariners could also expose him to waivers later in the offseason and try to retain him as non-roster depth. That flexibility gives the club time to judge his bat and defense without having to make an immediate choice about a permanent role.

This is more significant than it looks as a depth move, but the upside is still conditional. The Mariners are acquiring a player whose major league hitting has been poor, with speed and a stronger minor league record as reasons to keep looking. If he improves his contact or turns his athleticism into more dependable defense, the claim could give Seattle a useful option. If those changes don’t come, his roster value may remain limited to Triple-A coverage.

Here’s the thing: the option makes patience possible, but it doesn’t answer the central question. McCray will need to show that his minor league offense and standout speed can matter against major league competition. A chance to make that case. (And this is the part most people overlook: keeping a player available in Triple-A can be useful even when the player hasn’t earned a major league job.)

Photo courtesy of Bob Kupbens, Imagn Images