11:30am: FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Nationals, too, covet Ross but are considered a “long shot” to land his services. Joe Ross, Tyson’s younger brother, is currently penciled into the Nationals’ rotation, so there’s some appeal beyond financial incentive for Tyson to ponder a match with the Nats. Then again, Washington also lacks a clear spot in the rotation for him. In addition to the younger Ross brother, the Nats project to utilize Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark and Gio Gonzalez in their starting five next season (though Gonzalez has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate at various times this winter).
10:25am: A deal between the Rangers and Ross was not close as of last night, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ross did meet with the Rangers yesterday, and the team considers him the best available starting pitcher in free agency, per Wilson. However, the Rangers aren’t expecting Ross to be ready to open the season and aren’t likely to offer anything beyond a one-year deal.
JAN. 5, 7:20am: Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reports that Ross also met with the Cubs shortly before yesterday’s meeting with Texas (Twitter link). The Rangers and Cubs are considered the two favorites to sign the right-hander, according to Passan.
Presumably, once Ross is healthy enough to take the mound, he would push left-hander Mike Montgomery from the fifth spot in the rotation back to the bullpen. That’d give the Cubs a rotation consisting of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey and Ross, with Montgomery standing as the first line of defense in the event of an injury.
While there’s certainly plenty about Montgomery that makes him an intriguing rotation candidate, he’s undeniably had more success in the bullpen to this point in his career. In 125 2/3 innings out of the rotation, the former top prospect has a 4.23 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 52.8 percent ground-ball rate. In 65 2/3 innings of relief work, though, he’s logged a pristine 2.10 earned run average to go along with 8.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 58.9 percent ground-ball rate.
Looking beyond the pure numbers, the Cubs also have a clear need for some additional left-handed relief. As it stands, Brian Duensing, Caleb Smith and Rob Zastryzny are the top candidates to serve as southpaw options out of manager Joe Maddon’s bullpen.
JAN. 4, 4:00pm: Ross is visiting the Rangers today, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Per Heyman, Ross is still choosing among six potential suitors, though he’s getting closer to making a decision.
3:54pm: Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that Ross’ asking price has dropped since the Winter Meetings, and talks are indeed advancing between Ross’ camp and the Rangers.
3:50pm: The Rangers are being aggressive in their pursuit of free-agent righty Tyson Ross as they try to strike up a deal, reports MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (on Twitter). Talks between the two sides “are definitely heating up,” Sullivan adds, further noting that the Rangers “really like” Ross.
[Related: Texas Rangers Depth Chart]
Ross, 30 in April, didn’t pitch last season after Opening Day as he battled ongoing shoulder problems that culminated in surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome. Not wishing to pay him a repeat of last year’s $9.6MM salary, the Padres cut bait on Ross and non-tendered him, though they were said to be amenable to negotiating a return with a lower guarantee. Ross, however, has reportedly been seeking a comparable $9-11MM on a one-year deal in free agency (before incentives), and roughly two-thirds of the league has expressed some level of interest.
The reason for that widespread interest isn’t difficult to see. While Ross undoubtedly represents a roll of the metaphorical dice given his recent surgery, he’s expected to be ready at or near the beginning of the season and was one of the National League’s better all-around performers on the mound in the years leading up to his injury. From 2013-15, Ross totaled 516 2/3 innings for the Padres, working to a 3.07 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a gaudy 58.2 percent ground-ball rate.
The Rangers, as it stands, project to trot out Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, Andrew Cashner and A.J. Griffin in their 2017 rotation. However, Cashner is coming off a dismal season split between the Padres and Marlins, while Griffin was a non-tender candidate himself (5.07 ERA in 119 innings in 2016) but was retained quite possibly due to what is expected to be a low price tag in arbitration. There’s no guarantee, of course, that Ross will be ready to begin the season, though it stands to reason that he’d bump Griffin out of the starting mix when he’s ultimately ready to pitch at the Major League level. That could push Griffin to long relief, though his projected $1.9MM salary is perfectly reasonable for a pitcher in that role.
In addition to the Rangers and Padres, the Cubs, Pirates, Twins, Mariners, Giants and Indians have all been connected to Ross to varying extents over the course of the winter thus far.
I hope the Cubs sign him. If he recovers from injury he could be exactly what the Cubs need.
And, since I doubt he recovers, or throws strikes if he does, I hope the Rangers get him.
Or anyone else.
9-11 million? Fogettaboutit!
I can’t say i’m terribly surprised that he couldn’t find someone to give him 1/10ish. His medicals must be pretty sketchy, since the padres didn’t even want to take the gamble on him and they have nothing but opportunities to give to pitchers this year.
To feather his nest, Tyson might be playing a big game of Chicken….
…but nobody knows how good his wing is.
Yet here we are, keeping abreast of developments.
He may have to spend time on the farm….
Just don’t expect him to put goose eggs on the scoreboard.
I guess he didn’t get rave reviews at…
Sorry wrong thread
White Sox could fix him. They have the Coop….
Padres have Bals who’s better. Problem with Ross is he doesn’t need that kind of fixing; he needs his body to hold up and stay injury free. Whoever he signs with, don’t expect him in there opening week.
And they said chickens couldn’t fly…
You’d have to be cluckin’ nuts to spend $10 million for one year of Tyson…
Who will win this game of chicken
Tyson needs to keep those long balls on the fowl side of the pole.
I think you can count the Pirates out. Although the nova discount was nice. I’d rather them go after Quintana
I wouldn’t. They don’t have to give their farm system up for Ross
Landing Ross would be a nice addition though too, Ray Searage could take his time and build him back to his prime and help out for a late season playoff push even as a long man. But I agree would rather see Quintana in a Bucs uni first.
Can Ray Searage make his body stop breaking? His problem isn’t really talent, it’s that he can’t stay healthy enough to throw a baseball.
Yeah agreed. Ray Searage would be great with someone like Michael Pineda. So much talent but unable to harness it fully. If Searage can get through to Nova, can only imagine what he can do with a much more talented Pineda.
The track record of pitchers who have had TOS surgery is pretty disheartening. Chris Carpenter and Noah Lowry never came back from it. Matt Harrison didn’t. Marcum didn’t come back from it. Beckett was highly diminished when he did return, then retired after that season. Chris Young had one useful season after the surgery, then had one of the worst seasons for a pitcher in history last year. Jaime Garcia has been wildly inconsistent. Clayton Richard has been mostly awful since the surgery. Hochevar hasn’t pitched in two years. It’s not a very encouraging list. Foltynewicz had it but he was much younger than anyone else on this list when he did. I loved watching Ross pitch, but I bet he just doesn’t have much of a career left, sadly.
Just a little note: Matt Harrison didn’t have Tommy John, he had back surgery (spinal fusion if I am not mistaken) and never had arm problems.
He had Thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, which is what I was writing about.
Matt Harrison had spinal fusion surgery in 2014.
sportsday.dallasnews.com/texas-rangers/rangersheadlines/2014/06/03/matt-harrison-undergoes-spinal-fusion-surgery-in-attempt-to-continue-baseball-career
He had surgery to repair a herniated disk in Aprill of 2013 and another back surgery later in that year. He also had TOS on his non-throwing shoulder in September of 2013 (cbssports.com/mlb/news/matt-harrison-to-have-surgery-for-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/), but that was the least of his worries. His back is shot.
Matt Harrison actually had the thoracic outlet surgery prior to finding MLB success, and is actually considered somewhat of a success story for the procedure. However, Charlie is correct in that his issues over the past few years have stemmed from back injuries/surgeries
Richard has been a serviceable, underrated starter/reliever in the past two years. Take out this years stint with the Cubs and he’s era is sub 3
Take out his stint with the Cubs and he allowed 82 base runners in 58 innings with 34 Ks. That ERA is a stone fluke. His FIP of 4.19 is a lot closer to his skill level.
Yep
Matt Harrison had TOS on his non-throwing shoulder and that was not the reason he didn’t return to pitching. The spinal fusion surgery he had in 2014 ended his career.
Would like to see the M’s sign him. They need another SP
Ross seeking a 1 year deal is interesting. I get that its common for rebound candidates to do that, but he’s different in that he can’t pitch from day one. He has to realize that on a 1 year deal it seems pretty steep to ask a team to pay him 9-11mil, plus incentives, when you know he’s not even going to be ready until the middle of the year. I think he would have way more value on a 2 year contract.
I would guess that that’s why he hasn’t actually signed with anyone yet. Wouldn’t be surprised if most (all?) of the offers he has is heavily incentive laden. His camp may be holding out to see if any team would actually give him more guaranteed $.
I hope the Orioles sign him and give Wade Miley away for a single a guy
I was so happy when the Red Sox got rid of him, and became even happier when he got traded back to the AL East 😀
Having watched Ross since he became a Padre.. his slider is devestating, but with injury concerns it could limit him and control has always been his issue even when healthy. Padres would have paid him had they thought he’d be fine. If he was they wouldn’t have paid whole salary anyways since he’d be traded.
I don’t get the exuberance here for Ross. His surgery is a far more difficult recovery than TJ, and the number of success stories like Jaime Garcia are dwarfed by the Chris Carpenters, Noah Lowrys, Clayton Richards, etc. When you think about it, the Padres need SP desperately, but thought the almost $10M to sign Ross was too much given the risk, and the fact he doesn’t figure to be ready by Opening Day.
I certainly wish him well, but think there needs to be a reality check on the recovery odds on this procedure. If my team *needed* a SP, I would not count on his contributions in 2017. If my team A) could absorb the $10M in payroll for a part-time player in 2017, and B) had an opening on the 24-man to burn, then he’s an intriguing story. Otherwise, I’d stay away until 2018.
Texas is a perfect fit for him. They already have a full rotation (even if the back end is less than desirable). They’re in a position to not rush or count on Ross but hope the risk pays off come October/November.
Clayton Richard came back from TOS and pitched quite well for the Padres last season. These teams know that Ross won’t return until June at the earliest and are willing to take the risk because of his record. He was a top 20 starter for 3 years and that kind of performance is worth the risk for a big payroll team like the Cubs or Rangers. A small market team like the Padres can’t take that level of risk.
I guess we define “quite well” very differently. On the plus side, Richard’s arm didn’t fall off, nor did he spontaneously combust on the mound, so there’s that.
But his peripherals were 5th starter quality at best, and his demand was so thin the Padres got him for $1.75M this season. A genuine bounce back would have earned him more offers and higher salary. It would seem the other 29 GMs were equally unimpressed.
But you’re making my point on Ross anyway–a team which builds its pitching staff on signings of Richard and Chacin, and is kicking the tires on Peavy and Weaver–basically telling the league, “We don’t have any starters”–that team still didn’t see value in making a deal with Ross. Recovery from TOS procedure is the opposite of a sure thing, and far more careers have been sunk than rescued by the surgery.
54 innings, 82 base runners allowed and 34 Ks. No. That’s actually not very good.
Tyson Ross walks too many batters and throws too many pitches during a game. If he ever wants to be effective again, It may be several years until he learns to pitch.
No Tyson! Join the Cubs!
Padres made the right decision to non tender Ross. The team’s paid josh johnson what the past couple years to never pitch an inning for them? If Ross goes on to succeed elsewhere great but for a rebuilding team Ross and his 9.6 mill salary to sit there like josh johnson was too much of a risk.
I’d rather the padres take on a bad contract like Miguel Montero to back up Hedges off the Cubs hands to clear money for them to fill a team need (14 mill off the books) in exchange for adding someone like jeimer candelario. Idk what the Cubs need but 14 mill to acquire a need during the season seems like a handy chip to have in your back pocket.
There has to be a cheaper way to acquire talent than that. Getting an ML ready prospect like Candelario would be a huge add, but I’d have to assume if they did this they would probably immediately cut Montero because they need that roster spot for either the Bethancourt P/C/OF experiment or the rule 5 catcher (Assuming he makes it, big if). Hector Sanchez in AAA looks like a cheaper way to give Hedges an off day every once in a while.
You’d essentially be paying 14 mil + whatever prospect you have to send to the cubs in exchange for a guy who hasn’t proven himself in the bigs yet and who most people project as a very average 3rd baseman.
There’s really no need for them to trade an expiring contract. They’re not close to the threshold and you’d have to assume that Montero is there because they can’t really rely on Schwarber to take a decent work load behind the plate. In order for something like that to occur you’d have to assume it’d be a team with a bad contract over the threshold that’s more than 1 year or a team that’s close to the threshold who has been over for multiple years trying to reset.
That makes exactly 0 sense for the cubs
Jays need a back of pen piece…
Jays could use him definitely. The timing would be perfect. When Estrada goes down to a back injury Ross will be ready to step in.
I hope the Cubs sign him so we can call him Uncle Rossy.
Ha. Good one.
So it looks like he wants to go to a competitor.
I think Texas is a better fit
The Cubs have a need for lefty relief, but not necessarily another out of options person. They already guaranteed Duensing $2 milli and they need to keep the other kid Caleb Smith on the 25-man to keep him all year. Adding Ross would leave them with 3 lefties which, while not horrible, is a bit overkill. When I say they have a need for lefty relief, I mean more like 40-man roster taxi squad waiver claims to shuttle back and forth from AAA in case of injury or need for replacement.
Texas on the other hand has a need for another starter. Adding Ross would allow them to send AJ Griffin to AAA to use as the 6th starter. As it stands, the only options to start upon injury are Nick Martinez, who was putrid last season, Chi Chi Gonzalez, who is just not ready yet, Tyler Wagner, who would be better utilized as a multi-pitch reliever (could be a set-up man), or Mike Hauschild, who has never thrown a major league pitch, and has a much better chance to stick as a long reliever initially. Ross gives the Rangers some affordable depth that has incredibly high upside.
Ross is a Righty.
Cubs can sign Ross and worry about too many lefties later. Ross healthy is a solid 3 . If has big Year replaces lackey in rotation . Cubs need young starting pitching.
Healthy Ross is a solid #2 on almost all staffs. A #1 on more than half.
Quintana is a #3
I agree , with Cubs Hendricks Lester arrieta Ross lackey
Ross is 30.
These teams chasing Ross are better off keeping their powder dry. The dollars are better spent on a healthy option or at the deadline.
Not if we’re talking an incentive heavy deal with a low base salary. It’s not likely that Ross pitches a full season this year, making him a perfect fit for the Cubs as an investment. Though the 2017 rotation appears set, there are still holes beyond that. An Arrieta extension is no sure thing (especially with Scott Boras in the mix,) Lackey retires after this season, and the cupboard is bare in terms of SP prospects that are anywhere near big league ready.
Marlins should be in on him.
Both the Rangers and the Cubs would be good fits for Ross, because they don’t have to worry about him not returning to the majors until June or July. I don’t understand a one year contract though. Since they know he won’t be ready until June at the earliest, why not sign him to a backloaded 2 year deal with incentives?
My guess is that he doesn’t want to sign a 2 year deal and there is enough interest from teams that he thinks he can get himself a 1 year deal.
Hey Cashman. Why not sign Ross the Yankees could use a SP
He’s not going to sign with the Nats and take his brother’s spot in the rotation. Thanksgiving Dinner would really suck next year.
My guess is that Ross has about 100 innings left in his career. Too many pitches, too many sliders, too little control, and a surgery few pitchers ever come back from. I loved watching him pitch but I think he’s cooked.
I’d like to see the Cardinals enter the the Ross sweepstakes.
Assuming lackey retires after 2017 Tyson Ross is great spot starter. If Montgomery doesn’t work. I’m hoping cubs extend arrieta a week so after his arb hearing.