Stripling Excited to Learn Gausman’s Splitter, Hints at Blue Jays' Plans for 5th Starter Spot
The Blue Jays countered the offseason losses of Robbie Ray and Steven Matz by signing Kevin Gausman to a five year, $110-million deal—and one of Gausman’s new teammates is stoked to pitch alongside him.
Right-hander Ross Stripling appeared on MLB Network Radio Monday and discussed how excited he is to learn from Gausman’s wicked arsenal of pitches. As a former Dodger, he knows a thing or two about quality stuff.
“I got [Clayton] Kershaw’s slider, Rich Hill’s curveball that I've caught before, and now I'm gonna catch Gausman's splitter … I'm pretty lucky,” Stripling said.
The 32-year-old heaped praise on Toronto’s current rotation of José Berríos, Hyun Jin Ryu, and Alek Manoah before dropping a hint about the team’s plans for the fifth starter spot.
“That fifth spot is kind of up for grabs; obviously I'm shooting for it," Stripling said. "We got Nate Pearson, some other guys that are really talented, and who knows what we'll do in a shotgun free agency that will happen after we get a [collective bargaining] deal done.”
Stripling said he’s itching to start the season, though spring training is likely to be delayed at this point, according to a recent report from The Athletic.
Toronto is expected to be a player in the pitching market once free agency opens, and Inside The Blue Jays broke down some potential signings for starters and relievers in previous stories.
H/T MLB Network Radio, The Athletic's Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas