Royals sign veteran pitcher Ross Stripling to a minor league deal
The nine-year MLB vet is a former All-Star.
The Royals announced they have signed veteran right-hander Ross Stripling to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. The 35-year-old is a nine-year MLB veteran and one-time All-Star with 40 career wins. Last year with the Athletics he had a 6.01 ERA in 85 1⁄3 innings and was worth -1.1 rWAR.
Stripling was drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2012 draft out of Texas A&M. He has been a swingman his entire career, with 129 career starts and 119 relief appearances. He was an All-Star in 2018 when he posted a 3.02 ERA in 122 innings with 136 strikeouts. He was traded to Toronto in 2020 and enjoyed his best season with the Blue Jays in 2022, when he posted a 3.01 ERA with career highs in wins (10), innings (134.1) and rWAR (2.7). He signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Giants, but had a very disappointing 2023 and was traded to the Athletics.
Stripling isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, but he throws strikes. He has the seventh-lowest walk rate in baseball over the last three seasons combined. His fastball tops out at 92 mph and he mixes a change up cutter, sinker, slider, and knuckle curve. When he’s at his best, he’s inducing hitters to pound the ball into the ground, but his groundball rate last year was just 40 percent.
The Royals already have Alec Marsh, Kris Bubic, and Kyle Wright competing for the fifth starter role, with Daniel Lynch IV and Noah Cameron possibilities as well. Stripling seems to be a depth addition, likely to begin the season in Omaha, but ready if the Royals need a starter in a pinch.