San Diego Padres starter Tyson Ross was a popular name at the trade deadline, but San Diego didn’t seem too inclined to move him. With the offseason now upon us and the hot stove getting cranked up, could the Padres once again consider moving their ace?
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports…it doesn’t look like it.
While the Padres continue to draw trade interest in right-hander Tyson Ross, they only will consider moving him for a monster package, sources say.
The Padres value Ross, who is under club control for two more seasons, and might try to extend him. Ross, who will pitch next season at 29, is projected to earn $10 million in arbitration in ’16.
The 28-year old Ross still has two years of arbitration remaining, and he’ll be pricey in those final two seasons – he made $5.2 million in 2015, his second of four arbitration years as a Super Two player. He pitched to a 3.26 ERA in 196 innings this season, striking out 212 and walking 84. Ross also got ground balls at a 61.5% clip, the third-best mark among qualified starters in baseball (behind just Brett Anderson and AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel).
It’s no wonder San Diego would be expecting a mint in return for Ross, even though he’s got just those two seasons of control left. He’s the only qualified starter in baseball to finish in the top ten in both ground ball rate and strikeouts per nine innings. The only other starters in the top 20 in both categories? NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, Carlos Martinez, Carlos Carrasco, and Francisco Liriano. That’s some good company. If you want to expand it to top 25, go ahead and add in Clayton Kershaw, Gio Gonzalez, and Yordano Ventura. That’ll work.
