NEWSLETTER
Another older “upside” arm comes off the table this afternoon, as reports of the Giants signing right-hander Ross Stripling to a two-year deal have surfaced.
That’s a good deal for Stripling, who had a really nice season in Toronto last year, easily the best season of his career: 3.01 ERA, 3.57 xERA, 3.11 FIP with a tiny 3.7% walk rate over 134.1 innings (24 starts).
As a matter of fact, this is the exact deal the Giants also gave Sean Manaea deal, another intriguing, but older arm with upside. Both guys were theoretical targets of the Cubs, along with Kodai Senga (Mets) and Chris Bassitt (Blue Jays), so their options are dwindling there.
As the Cubs continue to sit on their hands*, their biggest competition in the free agent shortstop market (the Giants) continues to demonstrate a willingness to improve for THIS season. Not some amorphous future that may never come. And, again, prior connections or not, guys like Manaea and Striping are at least the TYPE of pitcher we believe the Cubs should be targeting at this point in the offseason.
*I think Jameson Taillon was a nice addition, ditto Cody Bellinger. This is not a shot at them, but rather at the Cubs who seemingly stopped their momentum on a dime after those deals.
