With their pitching depth questionable, the Toronto Blue Jays have enjoyed the bright spot that Ross Stripling has been
The Toronto Blue Jays have had a somewhat disappointing season thus far, partly due to their lack of pitching depth. The back end of the rotation has been riddled with injury (Hyun Jin Ryu) and poor performances (Yusei Kikuchi). You could even add the inconsistent Jose Berrios to the list of reasons pitching depth has been at a premium. And, with it at a premium, the Blue Jays found themselves going into the Trade Deadline needing to pick up where they left off in the offseason: looking for pitching help. The additions they made may have helped a bit, but the performance of Ross Stripling has softened the blow and may just end up being one of the big reasons Toronto makes the postseason.
At age 32, Stripling is having himself a season the likes of which he hasn’t had in a Blue Jays uniform. In 2018, he put up 2.2 fWAR and followed that with 1.9 fWAR in 2019. After struggling in 2020 in LA, he came to Toronto and didn’t necessarily find success right away. Sure, injury has been an issue early on in his Toronto tenure, but we haven’t seen this brand of Stripling yet.
Standard PitchingYear | Age | Tm | W | L | ERA | G | GS | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | FIP | WHIP | H9 | HR9 | BB9 | SO9 | SO/W |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | 26 | LAD | 5 | 9 | 3.96 | 22 | 14 | 100.0 | 96 | 44 | 10 | 30 | 74 | 3.90 | 1.260 | 8.6 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 2.47 |
2017 | 27 | LAD | 3 | 5 | 3.75 | 49 | 2 | 74.1 | 69 | 31 | 10 | 19 | 74 | 3.68 | 1.184 | 8.4 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 9.0 | 3.89 |
2018 | 28 | LAD | 8 | 6 | 3.02 | 33 | 21 | 122.0 | 123 | 41 | 18 | 22 | 136 | 3.41 | 1.189 | 9.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 10.0 | 6.18 |
2019 | 29 | LAD | 4 | 4 | 3.47 | 32 | 15 | 90.2 | 84 | 35 | 11 | 20 | 93 | 3.47 | 1.147 | 8.3 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 9.2 | 4.65 |
2020 | 30 | TOT | 3 | 3 | 5.84 | 12 | 9 | 49.1 | 56 | 32 | 13 | 18 | 40 | 6.15 | 1.500 | 10.2 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 7.3 | 2.22 |
2020 | 30 | LAD | 3 | 1 | 5.61 | 7 | 7 | 33.2 | 38 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 27 | 7.29 | 1.455 | 10.2 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 7.2 | 2.45 |
2020 | 30 | TOR | 0 | 2 | 6.32 | 5 | 2 | 15.2 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 3.70 | 1.596 | 10.3 | 0.6 | 4.0 | 7.5 | 1.86 |
2021 | 31 | TOR | 5 | 7 | 4.80 | 24 | 19 | 101.1 | 99 | 54 | 23 | 30 | 94 | 5.21 | 1.273 | 8.8 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 8.3 | 3.13 |
2022 | 32 | TOR | 5 | 3 | 2.93 | 24 | 16 | 89.0 | 77 | 29 | 6 | 15 | 74 | 2.87 | 1.034 | 7.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 7.5 | 4.93 |
7 Yr | 7 Yr | 7 Yr | 33 | 37 | 3.82 | 196 | 96 | 626.2 | 604 | 266 | 91 | 154 | 585 | 3.96 | 1.210 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 3.80 |
162 | 162 | 162 | 8 | 9 | 3.82 | 46 | 22 | 146 | 141 | 62 | 21 | 36 | 136 | 3.96 | 1.210 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 3.80 |
LAD | LAD | LAD | 23 | 25 | 3.68 | 143 | 59 | 420.2 | 410 | 172 | 61 | 102 | 404 | 3.90 | 1.217 | 8.8 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 8.6 | 3.96 |
TOR | TOR | TOR | 10 | 12 | 4.11 | 53 | 37 | 206.0 | 194 | 94 | 30 | 52 | 181 | 4.08 | 1.194 | 8.5 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 7.9 | 3.48 |
NL ( | NL ( | NL ( | 23 | 25 | 3.68 | 143 | 59 | 420.2 | 410 | 172 | 61 | 102 | 404 | 3.90 | 1.217 | 8.8 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 8.6 | 3.96 |
AL ( | AL ( | AL ( | 10 | 12 | 4.11 | 53 | 37 | 206.0 | 194 | 94 | 30 | 52 | 181 | 4.08 | 1.194 | 8.5 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 7.9 | 3.48 |
Consider the following takeaways from the above table:
His H/9 mark of 7.8 is the lowest of his career, his HR/9 of 0.6 is tied for his career low, his BB/9 is a career low and his SO/W rate (4.93) is second only to his All Star year (2018: 6.18). Let’s also add that his ERA is a career low 2.93, his FIP of 2.87 is as well and nearly half what it was last season. His opponents’ batting average of .228 is also a career best. Also of note is the fact that he’s lowered his Barrel% by more than 2% this season (8.0%).
At 33 years old, Stripling will hit free agency in a couple months and all of the above will only help him pursue his next contract. With Toronto in need of quality pitching, you can bet that there will be some sort of discussion between the two sides. What those discussions look like is anyone’s guess at this point. At the time of writing, it sounds like there are a few avenues to consider.
Option 1: Toronto could want Stripling to say so badly they could offer him a Qualifying Offer. At Blue Jays Nation, Brennan Delaney has explored this option and it is one where he seems more in favour of than I. Extending a one year offer for over $18M seems a bit much. A guy like Stripling, at age 33, may be looking for more years, which could net him more total dollars. Sure, rejecting the offer could get the club an extra pick when he signs elsewhere. It says here that this option provides two risks: 1) paying $18M for a swing man and 2) losing a guy who has emerged as a solid rotation piece. Presumably, Stripling would need to be guaranteed he will be in the rotation.
Considering he has already put up 2.2 fWAR and Fangraphs values his 2022 showing at $17.4M, perhaps the QO isn’t that outrageous. However, chasing a compensatory pick seems silly when this club should have designs on building a World Series winner this winter.
Option 2: Toronto could offer Stripling an extension. They could try and sign him before the season ends or re-sign him in the days after the World Series. Winning one would certainly help their chances, but that’s being hopeful. At age 33, Stripling would have to be looking for as many years as possible. It’s tough to imagine him signing for one year. Toronto may want to consider a two year deal with some kind of option for a third. It could be a player option, team option based on innings pitched or a mutual one. Either way, signing Stripling would be rewarding him for being one of the few bright spots this season and securing his services for a championship run.
This option might be the best for both sides. Stripling has said he wants to win more so than having a defined role on the team and he would have intimate knowledge of how close this team really is since he has far more than win/loss records to help him decide. If he feels this team is as close as we felt they were before the season started, a reunion could be a real possibility. This is especially true since Stripling has been a fan of the managerial change Toronto has undergone recently. Apparently, the way manager John Schneider handles his players means a lot to Stripling. Maybe it is enough to get him to sign on the dotted line.
When John Schneider came to the mound, he actually asked if Stripling wanted the next batter, but Stripling had "shut it down" when he saw him, and told Schneider.
"Anytime the manager has come out there in my Blue Jays career, that meant my outing was over." #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 17, 2022
Option 3: Toronto could allow Stripling to walk at the end of the season. No comp pick, no extension, no pitching depth. This is the worst of the three options as it creates another roster spot to fill and makes the starting rotation even more shallow than it already is. You can bet that there are several teams who would be willing to pay for Stripling’s services and once Toronto allows those teams into the conversation, their chances become that much more questionable. At that point, money does all the talking. This would be the worst case scenario for the Toronto Blue Jays. If Stripling pitches in a Yankees uniform next year, there will be a whole heaping pile of vitriol, you can bet on that.
Behind the scenes at Jays From the Couch, I have been having a conversation with Karen Soutar, who is far more intelligent than I am and I indicated that I don’t feel confident in Stripling being a full time starter in the “all in” season I feel 2023 has to be. Of course, Karen pointed out how good he has been and how difficult it might be to try and replace him. And, coming to the end of this spotlight piece, I have come to see her point of view and agree. My preference is Option 2, a two year extension for Ross Stripling.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!