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Pirates Among Numerous Teams Interested in Tyson Ross

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According to Jon Heyman, the Pittsburgh Pirates are among 20 or so teams showing interest in 29-year-old right-handed pitcher Tyson Ross.  After missing most of 2016, the San Diego Padres non-tendered Ross back on December 2nd. The Pirates contact him two weeks ago during the Winter Meetings and there is apparently still interest between the two clubs. Normally having so many other clubs interested would be a bad sign for the Pirates, but before Daniel Hudson signed yesterday, we heard that at least 16 teams were showing interest in him.

Ross made the Opening Day start for the Padres this season, then was shutdown due to shoulder discomfort. He also had a minor ankle injury set him back during his rehab. He made one minor league start and couldn’t even get through one inning, allowing four runs. Ross felt shoulder discomfort again after that game. He attempted to make another return before the end of the season, but he was never able to make it back. In October, he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome on his right shoulder, which carries a 4-6 month timetable for a return. That would have him back by mid-April 2017 at the latest.

Before this season, Ross put in nearly 200 innings a year during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He had a 2.81 ERA in 2014, with a 1.21 WHIP and exactly one strikeout per inning.  In 2015, the ERA went up slightly to 3.26, but he had a better FIP than the previous season (3.24 in 2014 vs 2.98). Ross picked up 212 strikeouts in 2015, though that came with a league leading 84 walks. He also had a 1.30 WHIP.

Whichever team signs Ross will be taking a chance on him returning to his recent form after missing almost the entire 2016 season, then having post-season surgery. His asking price is said to be in the $9M-11M range for one year, which would be a bargain if you get the 2014-15 version.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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