White Sox: Is Tyson Ross a Good Buy-Low Option for This Offseason?
By Brian Draus
White Sox will need to add a few veterans for next season, could former All-Star pitcher make sense for the South Siders in 2018?
As we approach the offseason, it makes perfect sense to begin discussing potential bargains on the free agent market. Since the White Sox will go with mostly youth as a whole, the mound is an ideal place for a rebound candidate. Why is that a good target area for a turnaround player? Let’s talk about it!
Anyone who has followed the Sox for an extended period of time knows the team loves reclamation projects. Derek Holland is a perfect example of that in 2017, however he failed to put up the stellar campaign they had hoped. Given some don’t know who Holland’s former club is, but that is where the potential 2018 turnaround contender played this season.
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Moving on to the aforementioned team, it is the Texas Rangers. And while they have failed to pitch well altogether in 2017 (ranked 11th in American League with a 4.63 team ERA) the player himself did not do his part either. As for that hurler whose name is Tyson Ross, his ERA has scraped eight (7.71) with a 3-3 record in 49 innings pitched.
Speaking of Ross, Texas released him this Tuesday. The main concern with Ross is that he has suffered so many injuries that he may never pitch anywhere near the level he once did. Keep in mind this is a pitcher who stuck out 212 men just two seasons ago in 2015. On top of that, Ross won thirteen and ten games in ’14 and ’15 respectively. So in other words, he has the ability succeed at the big league level however may never do so again due to shoulder surgery in 2016.
Now, put yourself in the position of the Sox front office. Does brining in Ross make any sense outside of a minor-league contract? The answer to that is possibly so if his shoulder ailments have improved at all, however that is a big if at this point. In the scenario that Rick Hahn and company do bring Ross to 35th and Shields, they will have to do their homework in regards to his medicals.
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All in all, Ross is a great bounce back option for the Sox if he continues pitching. In past seasons he has been linked to countless teams, so why not the South Siders in 2018? Fans around the game realize that Ross is unlikely to ever be the pitcher he once was, however it is still possible for a pitching coach of Don Cooper’s level to find a different skill in him. If he were to, Ross could turn into a great trade candidate at the deadline. If not, nothing lost in terms of resources for the future.