For a utility player, the Giants trade Stripling and cash to the Athletics. Cox

For a utility player, the Giants trade Stripling and cash to the Athletics. Cox

On Friday, the Giants as well as Athletics made a rare exchange between teams in the Bay Area. Both Oakland and San Francisco said they dealt veteran right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling as well as cash for infielder/outfielder Jonah Cox.

After signing a two-year, $25 million deal with the Giants in the offseason, Stripling had a rough first season. He went 0-5 with a 5.35 ERA, 70 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 89 innings thrown while moving between the starting rotation and the bullpen.

Since Stripling chose to stay in his contract for one more year, he will make $12.5 million in 2024.

Stephen Baggarly of The Athletic wrote after the trade that as part of the deal, San Francisco would pay $3.25 million for Stripling’s salary.

Cox, who is 22 years old and was picked in the sixth round of the 2023 draft out of Oral Roberts, played shortstop, center field, and left field in the minor leagues.

He has also hit.277.287,.366.666,.403, two home runs, 15 RBI, and 20 stolen bases for the A’s rookie class and Single-A teams in 2023.

This offseason, Stripling worked hard to get ready for the 2024 season. He added a new pitch to his arsenal that he calls a “Deathball,” that he will throw for the first time with the green and gold.

The 34-year-old will join veteran left-handed pitch Alex Wood in Oakland. Wood is a past Giants teammate and was signed to a one-year deal by the team on Friday.

The Athletics made a trade on Friday that had been talked about for months. They got two pitchers who started with the Giants last season to add to their rotation.

The A’s signed free candidate left-hander Alex Wood to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. The A’s also got right-hander Ross Stripling or $3.25 million from the Giants to help pay his salary.

The A’s general manager, Forst, said, “It’s safe to say those four guys have arrived with a good shot or an excellent spot in the rotation.”

It was very important for a team that has lost 214 games in the last two years to add some experienced pitchers to the rotation.

The teams said Friday about the trade. The Giants will get outfielder Jonah Cox from the minor leagues.

David Forst as well as Farhan Zaidi have been friends for a long time and worked together for many years in Oakland. They are now executives for two different Bay Area teams.

When you work with a close friend or former coworker, it can be hard because “we tend to view players the same way,” Forst said of his time working with Zaidi as Giants President for Baseball Operations.

Forst said in a video interview, “Well, I guess everyone is going to call it the first real trade we’ve made.”

He was referring to the fact that the only trades they had made before this one were for minor leaguers.

“Look, we’ve always said that it’s easier to trade and talk with people you know and trust.” And I know Farhan better than anyone else on the other end of the phone.”

Wood has been a pitcher for San Francisco for three years. He could get a $1 million bonus for good performance. This year, the 33-year-old pitcher made 29 starts and went 5-5 for a 4.33 ERA.

Stripling, who is 34 years old, went 0-5 with a 5.35 ERA in 22 games and 11 starts for the Giants. After eight years in the major leagues with the Angels, Toronto, and San Francisco, he is 38-43 while sporting a 3.96 ERA.

The A’s don’t know where they will play after their 2024 lease at the Coliseum ends because they are getting ready to move to Las Vegas.

Because of this, the offseason has mostly been made up of one-year deals and trades, though Forst did say that he did talk to potential players concerning two-year deals earlier during the offseason.

Stripling and Wood were brought on together, which helped because they had played together before, had a good relationship, and knew the area well.

Forst said, “I like the addition of these two guys mostly because it makes our rotation stronger.”

That’s what we knew we had to do before the season started, so I’m confident in our group’s ability to do these.”

To make room on the 40-man roster, Oakland sent left-handed pitcher Francisco Perez to Triple-A Las Vegas and sent infielder Jonah Bride to be sent to a different team.