Ross Stripling is joining the San Francisco Giants, according to Jeff Passan. The deal is reportedly worth $25 million over two years and it also has an opt-out clause after the first season so Stripling could potentially test the open market again next winter.
Stripling started his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and got traded to the Blue Jays ahead of the trade deadline during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He made 61 appearances, 45 of which were starts, for the Blue Jays over parts of three seasons and posted a 3.94 ERA.
Stripling started the 2022 season as the long reliever in Toronto’s bullpen and joined the starting rotation when Hyun Jin Ryu went down with what wound up being a season-ending injury. Over 24 starts and eight appearances as a reliever, Stripling put up a 10-4 record and a 3.01 ERA. It was a significant performance for the Blue Jays given Ryu’s injury and the poor performances of Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi.
After the Blue Jays signed Chris Bassitt on Monday, it became inevitable that Stripling would be signing elsewhere in free agency. Since the Blue Jays didn’t issue Stripling a qualifying offer, the team won’t receive any draft pick compensation for his departure.
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