The Rangers have agreed to sign free-agent righty Tyson Ross to a one-year, $6 million deal, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com and Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. The deal also includes incentives that could boost its value.
Ross reportedly chose the Rangers over the Cubs after visiting both clubs at different points this winter. The righty drew interest from over 20 clubs after being non-tendered by the Padres in early December, with the Nationals making a late effort to pair him with brother Joe Ross in the club’s rotation.
Ross’ value to Texas will depend on his health, as the soon-to-be 30-year old did not appear after Opening Day last season due to shoulder issues that led to surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome. The high level of interest in Ross suggests that he is now fully healthy with about a month remaining before pitchers and catchers report.
Ross is the second significant rotation addition of the winter for the Rangers, who added Andrew Cashner to a group that already includes Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, Martin Perez and A.J. Griffin. Griffin will likely slot in as the club’s sixth starter in case of injury, serving as a backup plan if shoulder issues resurface for Ross.
Ross was excellent in three full seasons for the Padres, posting a 3.16 ERA in 100 appearances (81 starts) with the club. He notched over 195 innings in both 2014 and 2015 for San Diego, posting respective ERAs of 2.81 and 3.26 in those seasons.