Cubs reportedly attempted to trade for RHP Tyson Ross until the point he was non-tendered
As the front office continues to explore ways to add pitching from outside the organization, the Cubs were linked again to free agent RHP Tyson Ross on Tuesday.
The Cubs tried to acquire Ross from the Padres on numerous occasions but were unable to work out a trade with A.J. Preller. The Cubs even tried to trade for Ross one more time, according to Bruce Levine, before the Padres non-tendered him.
Ross missed all but one game last season, Opening Day, with what was believed to be a shoulder injury. Ross had surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in October and was non-tendered by the Padres earlier this month. Ross is a free agent and the Cubs are one of several teams very interested in signing him.
According to Comcast SportsNet, the Cubs remained in talks with Tyson Ross after the Winter Meetings. And on Tuesday, Bruce Levine reported the Cubs are “still pursuing” Ross and their interest “hasn’t been curtailed” as he recovers from surgery.
An executive Levine talked to about Ross said he will receive a contract similar to the $10 million it would have cost the Padres in his last year of arbitration eligibility. The key, according to the executive, is to sign Ross to an incentive-laden contract with at least two years of control.
The Cubs, Pirates, Rangers and Padres are the four teams that are believed to have the most interest in Ross. The Rangers have done their homework on him according to Evan Grant. Ross is looking for a contract in the $9-11 million range and may prefer a one-year contract instead of a multi-year commitment to a team.
Recovery and rehab is expected to take Ross four to six months. He could be ready to pitch in Spring Training and join a rotation as early as April. If Ross takes the full six months, the earliest he would be able to pitch again would be April. Without any setbacks, a late-May or early-June timeframe would be a possibility.
The front office knows what Tyson Ross will bring to the clubhouse and what he could add to the rotation if he is healthy. The Cubs are apparently willing to take the chance that he will come back from thoracic outlet surgery and help the team win games.