Of the 197.1 innings Bill Bray pitched in the major leagues over six different seasons from 2006-12, 174.1 of them came in a Reds uniform. The left-handed Bray primarily operated with a fastball-slider combination, which produced a career FIP of 3.85 and 188 strikeouts. Bray was particularly effective against left-handed batters, limiting lefties to a slash of .218/.312/.331.
A William & Mary product, Bray was drafted 13th overall by the Montreal Expos in the 2004 draft. After reaching the majors with the Washington Nationals on June 3, 2006, Bray recorded 23 innings with the Nationals before he, fellow reliever Gary Majewski, shortstop Royce Clayton, infielder Brendan Harris, and minor league pitcher Daryl Thompson were traded to the Reds for Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, and Ryan Wagner on July 13, 2006.