Robbie Ray was a minor league pitcher in the Nationals system when he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in December 2013, as Washington acquired veteran pitcher Doug Fister.
“My wife is from western Michigan and we were up there in Grand Rapids for Thanksgiving,” Ray recalls. “Her parents were ecstatic about it, being from Michigan. It was a pretty cool for them.”
The second time he was traded was even better.
After making his major league debut in nine games with the Tigers in 2014, he was dealt to Arizona after the season.