Dodgers Get Kendall Williams in Ross Stripling Trade

In a move announced an hour after Monday's 1:00 p.m. deadline Monday, the Dodgers traded Ross Stripling to Toronto for two players to be named later. We now know that one of the players is 20-year-old right-hand starting pitcher Kendall Williams.

He's 6-6, 205 and was taken by Jays in the second round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft out of IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida). He appeared in six games for the 2019 Rookie Gulf Coast League Blue Jays (five starts), recording a 1.13 ERA and a 0.813 WHIP, with 19 strikeouts in 16 innings.

Andrew Friedman: "We are definitely getting a guy that we like and feel like will fit in really well with our next crop of prospects that are coming and then another guy that will come from a bigger list that we’ll have some time to work through.”

Importantly, the acquisition of Williams in exchange for Stripling opens up a spot on L.A.'s 40-man roster. We still don't know who the other PTBNL is, but it's possible that that player will not require a spot on the 40-man either. Stay tuned for that.

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From MLB Pipeline: "[Williams'] velocity continues to creep up to the mid-90s and his fastball plays up because of its steep plane and angle. He throws both a slider and a curveball, with success, with some scouts thinking the curve will ultimately work better with its spin and coming from his high-three-quarter slot. He has some feel for a future average changeup."

PerfectGame.org: "Kendall Williams is a 2019 RHP/1B with a 6-6 190 lb. frame from Olive Branch, MS who attends IMG Academy. Very tall and athletic build, square shoulders, tons of physical projection. Slow paced side step delivery, hips are late getting out of their turn but torques them hard, timing intensive lower half mechanics but repeats it well, high 3/4's slot with severe downhill angle when he's down in the zone, really extends out to the plate. Fastball topped out at 94 mph, mostly straight with the big plane, maintained his velocity well. Curveball lacked power but gets over it consistently well and gets big depth with good feel for landing it. Tended to slow his arm and guide his change up, still a developing pitch. High ceiling young talent. Good student, verbal commitment to Vanderbilt. Selected to play in the 2018 Perfect Game All American Classic."

Fangraphs: "Williams had one of the biggest frames among the high school prospects from the 2019 draft, standing in at a very projectable-looking 6-foot-6. He was much older than the typical high school prospect (he and Adam Kloffenstein, who was drafted the year before, were born nine days apart), and that colors the fastball projection, but what is lost there might be gained through a better delivery. Williams had some cross-bodied mechanical violence as an amateur that might be ironed out in pro ball, and already may have been. He had a Mike Clevinger look in the bullpen this spring.

"Whether or not more velo comes, Williams is already a big, strong kid whose fastball has been up to 96, and he creates vertical depth on his breaking ball. There’s sizable relief risk here because of the delivery, but No. 4 starter ceiling if that’s corrected or overcome."

Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.