Former Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, who made the All-Star team with L.A. in 2018, signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Giants.
The free-agent feeding frenzy continued on Tuesday, and this time the beneficiary was an old friend. Right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling, whom the Dodgers traded to the Blue Jays in 2020, signed a two-year deal with the Giants.
This is great news for Stripling, who will make more in 2023 than he’s made in his entire career combined. Stripling struggled initially with Toronto, posting a 6.32 ERA after the trade in 2020 and a 4.80 ERA in 2021. But he bounced back in a big way in 2022, going 10-4 with a 3.01 ERA in 32 appearances, 24 of them starts. It was the best season of his career, slightly better than his All-Star season with Los Angeles in 2018.
For the Giants, the addition of Stripling could indicate that they’re out on Carlos Rodon. They now have Stripling, Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Sean Manaea, and Jakob Junis available as starters, with prospect Kyle Harrison a possibility for later in the season. They can still afford Rodon, but signing Stripling and Manaea seems to indicate they don’t expect to bring him back.
The Dodgers hadn’t been linked to Stripling (except in my heart, and on my podcast), but it’s still a little jarring to see a fan favorite go to San Francisco. Stripling will be reunited with former L.A. teammates Joc Pederson and Wood, and it will be good to see him more often.
Stripling now returns to the ballpark where he made his big-league debut, famously throwing 7.1 no-hit innings against the Giants before being pulled at 100 pitches. We wish him plenty of success except against the Dodgers and we reserve the right to rescind the well-wishes if the Giants get too close to L.A. in the standings.
