Giants add righty Stripling as rotation candidate

For the second day in a row, the San Francisco Giants added another rotation candidate, agreeing to a deal with righthander Ross Stripling on Tuesday, yet the team remains in the mix for top free-agent starter Carlos Rodón.

Stripling’s deal is for two years and $25 million and includes an opt-out after the first season. Stripling is due to make $7.5 million in 2023 and $12.5 million in 2024 and will receive a $5 million signing bonus. The terms match those for left-hander Sean Manaea, who agreed to a free-agent deal with the Giants on Sunday.

Those deals have not impacted the team’s pursuit of Rodón, who’s expected to command a megadeal after his strong 2022 season with the Giants.

Stripling said on a video call with reporters Tuesday that he loves San Francisco and has very fond memories of his major-league debut, which came at AT&T Park, now Oracle Park, in 2016. Stripling threw 71⁄3 hitless innings before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts lifted him after 99 pitches.

“It never gets old,” Stripling said. “I still get asked about it all the time, ‘Do you think you could have finished it? Are you still mad at Dave Roberts?’ which I’m not. It was just like a perfect combination of some of the craziest things that have ever happened, just a crazy game and an awesome debut.

“Coming back to San Francisco, man, you can’t beat it, especially all those times the Dodgers are coming in and one of the best rivalries in baseball. ... It’s just a special place for me and my family.”

Stripling has plenty of familiarity with the Giants’ brain trust, going back to his Dodgers days with Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler. Joc Pederson was Stripling’s roommate at the Double-A level, and Alex Wood was

in Stripling’s wedding.

“Now you pair me with some great coaches and Farhan, a guy who I had in L.A. who always seemed to have a great idea for me,” Stripling said. “He would come up to me and look me in the eye and say, like, ‘Strip, we need you to do XYZ and we think you’ll do better,’ and I would implement it and I’d have better success.”

So how crowded will the Giants’ rotation be? They’re up to six starters even without Rodón, so they have some insurance if they don’t land him. The Yankees, who whisked Aaron Judge back out of San Francisco’s grasp last week, are considered a major player for Rodón, too.

The Giants could consider a six-man rotation, or they might use Wood as a swingman — and, of course, because injuries happen, there’s a strong chance that there will be plenty of innings for Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Anthony DeSclafani, Wood, Manaea and Stripling.

“Farhan told me that he sees me as a starter and that there are as many innings available for me as I can handle,” Stripling said. “I feel like the Giants and Farhan specifically are very creative and good at using guys to their strengths and getting the most out of their guys.”

Stripling pointed to his Toronto teammate Kevin Gausman, who was an All-Star with the Giants in 2021, and Rodón, who was an All-Star this past season, and he noted that Gausman had nothing but good things to say about San Francisco. Rodón’s success on a twoyear deal with an opt-out was one reason Stripling liked that kind of “bet on yourself” deal, saying, “If I go out and do great this season, like I expect to, and like Carlos Rodón did, and I throw 180 innings with good results and show teams that I can get there, then I enter the freeagent market next year in a much better spot.”

Stripling, 33, made 32 appearances (24 starts) for the Blue Jays last season, compiling a 10-4 record and 3.01 ERA. His 24 starts and 1341⁄3 innings both marked career highs. He was an All-Star with the Dodgers in 2018 and has a 38-38 record and 3.78 ERA in 204 major-league games.

The Giants outrighted righthander Miguel Yajure to Triple-A Sacramento to clear a 40man roster spot for Stripling.

• The Giants traded minorleague right-handed pitcher Jake Wong to the Reds to complete last week’s trade for catcher/outfielder Blake Sabol, taken by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft and dealt to San Francisco.