Robbie Ray introduced as Seattle’s new ace: he’s “the lead dog”

Scott Servais remembers Robbie Ray all too well.

In 2021, Seattle’s manager faced MLB’s strikeout leader not once, but twice, and had to scheme. Then on the Toronto Blue Jays, Ray had a “dominating” mound presence, and had “electric stuff” you’d expect from a top-of-the-rotation ace, he said.

“You can feel it from the dugout,” Servais said in a news release. “He really controls the game when he’s on the mound.”

Servais and the Mariners split those two games, grabbing a win at home, but he won’t have to worry about facing Ray anymore. He’ll get to manage the reigning AL Cy Young winner instead.

On Wednesday, the Mariners officially announced the signing of Ray to a five-year, $115 million deal that includes an opt-out option after 2024.

Ray, donning the number 38, buttoned his jersey and threw on his new Seattle cap. For just the ninth time in major league history, a franchise had enticed a reigning Cy Young winner to join a new club.

“You all know from our description of what we were trying to accomplish this offseason that this lines up very much with what our goals were,” Dipoto said at Wednesday’s press conference. “To bring in the lead dog for a starting rotation that we think has a chance to go out and be one of the best in the league.”

What lured Ray to the Mariners was a sales pitch the team historically lacked the privilege of presenting: postseason contention. They’re fresh off 90 wins, but the Mariners packed the house over the season’s final weekend, and possess one of baseball’s best farm systems.

“Seeing the last series that was played here and the fan base showing up… seeing the vision and the direction of this team and the way that it was headed... man, I just wanted to be a part of it,” Ray said at T-Mobile Park. “And I could just (see) the excitement with this organization and with the city.

“I just wanted to be here.”

Outfielder Mitch Haniger helped out with the recruiting process, too. He was Ray’s teammate with the Diamondbacks in 2016, and made sure to leave a lasting impression. The city, the clubhouse, the brotherhood: no stone was left unturned in Haniger’s pitch.

The negotiation process? A bit of a whirlwind, Ray admits, though it took only 72 hours to agree on a deal once Dipoto knew of the left-hander’s interest. Ray wasn’t the “notable” offer that Dipoto had on the table last weekend, but surely remained on the franchise’s wish list.

Throughout Ray’s eight years in the major leagues, Ray was considered a “strikeout guy,” whiffing a career-high 248 batters in 2021 and eclipsing the 200-mark three other times with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Command was a larger issue, and that dwindled to what Ray considers a low point in 2020, when Arizona traded him — along with his 7.84 ERA and league-high 31 walks — to Toronto before the late-July deadline.

Ray manufactured swing-and-misses, but struggled with command, and he spent 2020 shortening his pitching motion in hopes of a more consistent result.

“And it just happened that it didn’t work out,” Ray said. “But I wouldn’t have known that it didn’t work out if I hadn’t gone through it and tried it. Going into that next offseason, I knew I needed to make another change.

“I was able to get it together, and that’s what you saw.”

And so Ray, a free agent after the 60-game sprint that was the 2020 season, bet on himself. He signed a one-year deal to stay with Toronto, worth $8 million.

That bet would go on to cash a hefty sum, considering Tuesday’s $115 million payday.

By last season’s spring training, everything came together for the would-be Cy Young winner. Ray said he laughs and jokes about it now, but it only took one bullpen session to locate all five of his pitches and clock 97 miles per hour on the radar gun.

“I want to be the guy that is counted on,” Ray said. “I want to be the guy that leads the league in innings every year. That’s the guy that I feel like I am, and I feel like this past year that I unlocked that. I welcome that.”

Seattle’s 40-man roster is now full, but they’d certainly make room on the team for star free agents that want in. They’ve already added an All-Star second baseman in Adam Frazier -- and Ray, of course -- but the Mariners are rumored to be interested in adding another infielder that brings an impact bat to their lineup.

And Dipoto spent Tuesday securing deals with two pitchers already rostered. On Wednesday morning, the team announced the signing of reliever Andres Munoz to a four-year contract extension that includes club options for 2026-28.

Munoz was set to enter his final year of pre-arbitration in 2022, and the team, in essence, bought out those years for an estimated $7.5 million, per MLB’s Daniel Kramer.

RHP Casey Sadler also agreed on an estimated $1.025 million contract for 2022, avoiding arbitration in his first year of eligibility.

“I’m super excited, proud, and honored to continue my journey here in the great (Pacific Northwest),” Sadler said in a tweet on Tuesday. “This is home! We are going to do big things Mariners fans!”

The Mariners now have nine remaining players eligible for arbitration: Diego Castillo, J.P Crawford, Adam Frazier, Mitch Haniger, Dylan Moore, Tom Murphy, Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider, and Luis Torrens.

Before Sadler’s deal, the team tendered contracts to the remaining 33 players on the major league roster; four players were already under contract for the 2022 season.

Dipoto expects the franchise to explore the free agent and trade markets throughout Wednesday as failed negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA likely result in a lockout that would begin Dec. 2. That would halt not only all transactions, but negotiations, as free agents remain on the open market.

“It’s just nice to have Robbie Ray, to be honest with you,” Dipoto said. “And I’d say the same about Adam Frazier. The day on the calendar doesn’t matter for us. We believe that the next five years are going to be, for the Mariners, what we’ve been building toward. That’ll be the crescendo, and the fact that Robbie’s here for that is something we’re all excited about.”