Although the Los Angeles Dodgers were connected to multiple possibilities at the 2020 MLB trade deadline, in the end they elected to trim into their pitching depth by trading Ross Stripling to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for two players to be named later.
Half of the Dodgers’ return was revealed to be Kendall Williams, who was selected by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Although Stripling was part of trade speculation earlier this year as part of a deal agreed to in principle with the L.A. Angels, the transaction still came as somewhat of a surprise.
Primarily because it was not reported as a possibility leading up to the 1 p.m. PT deadline — like most deals in the information era — and the Dodgers didn’t announce the trade until one hour later.
Of course, all of that is a moot point as Stripling now is a member of the Blue Jays, where he will get to regularly pitch as a starter. In his first comments since the trade, Stripling voiced his appreciation for Dodgers fans, former teammates and organization as a whole.
The right-hander went a combined 23-25 with a 3.68 ERA and 404 strikeouts in 143 games (59 starts) across five seasons with the Dodgers. He was selected by the team in the fifth round of the 2012 Draft.
Stripling famously threw 7.1 no-hit innings in his MLB debut against the San Francisco Giants prior to being removed because of a pitch count. The 30-year-old took manager Dave Roberts’ decision in stride and was always regarded as being a consummate professional and teammate.
“From our standpoint, this was extremely difficult,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Moving Ross, it was a conversation that I was not looking forward to, how uncomfortable and how uneasy, just because of the respect level.
“He’s absolutely a Major League starting pitcher, and a lot of it has just been a function of timing. From our standpoint as we look out to next year, we see a strong group that would’ve made it really difficult to give him any kind of assurances about next year. That was more the guiding light for us.”
New Dodgers rotation take shape
The Dodgers are expected to activate Walker Buehler off the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, which will bring their new starting rotation whole. Roberts indicated in particular order the group will comprise of Clayton Kershaw, Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.
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