The Mariners claimed Grant McCray off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Thursday. Now comes the part that will determine whether Seattle actually gets anything out of this. The appeal is there for the 25-year-old outfielder. Also, we have to take a serious look at his batting line. McCray finished this season with a .143 average and a .523 OPS in 77 major-league at-bats. It’s fair to say their newest waiver addition arrives with plenty to work on, and the Mariners should have a specific idea of where to start.

A fresh start is always nice when the work is put in. Claiming McCray hopefully means Seattle can see enough to give him a roster spot. 

Mariners Need to Turn Their Grant McCray Evaluation Into a Hitting Plan

“Upside” is easy to sell when you’re only one day removed from the postseason’s official end. By spring, somebody has to know what they have in McCray. We don’t necessarily have Seattle’s internal evaluation, nor do we even have a manager to tell us what they see, because the Mariners have yet to announce one. Prescribing a mechanical overhaul from the outside is just straight up guessing.

McCray has already shown why teams keep giving him opportunities. In 2022, he hit 23 home runs and stole 43 bases across two minor-league levels. But a contact problem has consistently followed him to the majors. During his first big-league season in 2024, McCray struck out 56 times in 130 plate appearances. This season, he reduced that rate to 30.8 percent, with 28 strikeouts in 91 plate appearances.

Mariners Should Treat Grant McCray as a Development Project

The realistic expectation for McCray is pretty simple: come to camp, give Seattle’s coaches a closer look and prepare to work on the bat in the minors. It would take an exceptional spring to push him into the Opening Day conversation.

Pencil him into a competition to replace Randy Arozarena, or even Victor Robles, and we’ve already asked this waiver claim to carry too much. The most realistic outcome would be McCray making himself a credible call-up option over the course of the season. Seattle needs players it can turn to when injuries hit. Giving an outfielder with power and speed a chance to improve his hitting is a reasonable way to build that depth.

But the improvement needs to show up over regular at-bats. Sustained progress against the pitching that has given him trouble would mean considerably more than a couple weeks of hot play.

We don’t need to manufacture an outfield controversy to make this move interesting. If McCray becomes useful depth the Mariners can trust, the claim will have done its job.