3 Blue Jays free agents who won’t be back next season and why
By Tim Boyle
1) Blue Jays will go after a younger starter than Ross Stripling
Finally, it’s in 2022 when Ross Stripling looks like the pitcher the Blue Jays wanted him to be. He struggled after joining them in mid-2020 and wasn’t much better in 2021. This season, flipping between the bullpen and rotation, Stripling has once again accomplished what he did so well as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers early on in his career. He’ll be an asset to someone. In his first dive into free agency, he’ll look to get paid like a starter — even if he ends up with some regular relief duties.
Stripling’s inconsistency in Toronto should be enough for them to be happy they were able to get a lot from him in the final year. While certainly not someone fans are ready to drive him to the airport like they’d willingly do to move on from Jackie Bradley Jr., that wasn’t always the case.
The Blue Jays rotation has had some misses in recent years. The Jose Berrios extension has gotten off to a rough start. Yusei Kikuchi has already been booted from the starting five.
Stripling wouldn’t be an awful reunion candidate on a short-term deal in the hopes of replicating his 2022 performance. More likely, he ends up starting for another team — maybe even a non-contender who could view him as an option to flip at the trade deadline.
One potential Blue Jays free agent the team should already plan to bring back is reliever Anthony Bass. A trade deadline acquisition this year, picking up his option feels like a no-brainer.