The New York Yankees are in need of another power arm to add to their staff, and Tyson Ross seems like a logical fit. Even though his career win-loss record (32-52) might not show it, Ross has been a solid pitcher throughout his six-year career. The Yankees should target Ross because the Padres are in the rebuilding phase, and they have shown that they will trade anyone on their roster.
The New York Yankees have a pretty solid rotation in line for 2016, including Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, C.C. Sabathia, Luis Severino, and Ivan Nova. Nova could be traded, however. While adding Ross would solidify that rotation in case of an injury, they could also use him out of the bullpen as a long reliever. Ross has experience out of the bullpen in the first four years of his career, and only the last two years has Ross been a full-time starter.
Statistically, Ross has been a bit shaky in some regards. He has the swing-and-miss type of stuff in his slider and devastating sinker that sits at 94. Ross has allowed 605 hits throughout his 665 career innings, but holds a career WHIP if 1.31. Ross has a bit of a control problem, leading the league with 84 walks and 14 wild pitches in 2015, leading to his high WHIP. The lanky 6’5″ right-hander has had problems repeating his delivery, leading to his control issues. Despite the walks and command issues, Ross does have a career ERA of 3.57. Obviously, if Ross is able to focus on his control then he will be even more productive to whatever organization he plays for in 2016.
The Yankees and Padres have already done business in 2015, and I’m sure they’ll be in talks during the rest of the offseason. After trading away Craig Kimbrel to the Boston Red Sox, the Padres have shown that anyone is on the trading block. Tyson Ross would be a great fit for the Yankees given the uncertainty in the rotation with Tanaka and Pineda being prone to injury. There is also no guarantee the Yankees get much out of Sabathia over the remainder of his contract. The Padres are beginning to start their rebuilding process, and could use a few of the Yankees young prospects or some extra cash. This deal would make sense for both teams, giving each what they need most. The Chicago Cubs may be considered the favorites to land Tyson Ross, but if the Yankees want to get involved, they could have a very good chance to land the 28-year-old with two more years of team control.
The Yankees would not pay the asking price for Ross…