Blue Jays send Ryan Noda to L.A. to complete 2020 trade

When the Blue Jays acquired Ross Stripling from the Dodgers last year, it was for two players to be named later. We now know who they are after the Jays made the announcement earlier on Tuesday.

To complete the trade the Jays will send Ryan Noda to L.A., a 24-year-old first baseman/outfielder who spent the 2019 campaign in High-A Dunedin. He posted impressive on-base percentages during his time in the Blue Jays’ system, and showed he had a bit of pop in his bat as well, posting a slash line of .238/.372/.418 over 378 at-bats. However, with younger and more highly rated prospects in their minor league pipeline, it’s a loss the franchise shouldn’t feel too much.

Of course, we already know that Kendall Williams was the first player sent to the Dodgers, and he ultimately proved to be the main piece in exchange for Stripling. The Blue Jays’ 2nd round pick from the 2019 draft should have a bright future, although the Covid-19 hasn’t served his development very well. MLB.com has him as the Dodgers #24 prospect right now, but don’t be surprised to see him move up the list in 2021. The right-hander is still only 20 years old as well.

With all due respect to Noda, I was relieved to read his name as the second piece to Los Angeles. That’s not to suggest that he couldn’t eventually become a big league calibre player, but after seeing the Blue Jays give up Williams, I was worried about the second, unknown PTBNL. When they acquired Stripling, I didn’t really expect to see a pitcher of Williams’ calibre headed the other way, so it’s nice to know the rest of the return.

We’ll see if it pays off for the Blue Jays in 2021. Stripling will likely compete for the #5 starter’s job, and if not, serve as a long-man and spot starter out of the bullpen. Based on how the Blue Jays have set up the rest of their pitching staff, he could be an important arm regardless of what role he fills.