Giants reportedly signing former Blue Jays starter Ross Stripling for $25M; are they out on Carlos Rodón?
The San Francisco Giants have reportedly agreed with former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ross Stripling on a two-year, $25 million contract, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports.
The news arrives a day after the Blue Jays signed former New York Mets starter Chris Bassitt to bolster their rotation. Stripling, 33, spent the past two-plus seasons with the Blue Jays. He posted a career-best 3.01 ERA and 1.020 WHIP in 2022 while tallying 111 strikeouts and 20 walks in 134 1/3 innings pitched.
Stripling returns to the NL West, where he spent four-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before a midseason trade to Toronto in 2020. He has straddled the line between starter and reliever for most of his career.
Stripling started last season pitching out of the Blue Jays' bullpen but ended up making 24 starts in 32 appearances. He has started 104 of the 204 career games in which he has appeared. He projects to start in San Francisco alongside fellow free-agent acquisition Sean Manea, whom the Giants also signed to a two-year, $25 million deal.
What does this deal mean for Carlos Rodón?
Stripling is the latest starting pitcher to come off a market that has seen a number of top arms change teams, including Cy Young winners Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander. Rodón, who was an All-Star with the Giants last season, remains the top prize on the market.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reported Monday that the Giants are still pursuing Rodón, but the Giants' addition of another starter in Stripling suggests that the two-time All-Star might be headed elsewhere.
