Astros Rumors: Are the Stros talking to SP Tyson Ross?

Would Tyson Ross make sense for the Houston Astros?

There are many rumors that the Texas Rangers are after Tyson Ross. Yesterday, TR Sullivan reported that the Rangers like Ross and are making a push to sign him. While this could be true, the Houston Astros could be talking to him as well. Last offseason, there was some talk that the Astros might have been interested in trading for Ross. They often try to sign players they have targeted before.

Many of the experts around baseball feel that the Astros have upgraded their offense, but have done little to add depth to the rotation. As Cody wrote about this morning, there are rumors out there that the Astros are negotiating for Jose Quintana again. There is too much chatter to assume that the front office is willing to stand pat.

Any trade the Astros do, the other team is going to want Joseph Musgrove included or a haul of prospects. The price for Chris Archer is probably way too unrealistic, imagine a package of five prospects, including three of the top four prospects. With little movement thus far, I don’t think the Rays are too eager to trade their ace. Unless Musgrove or Alex Bregman are included for Archer, I don’t see a fit now.

Another option instead of a trade.

They might be able to work around Musgrove for Quintana, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them take the easy road for now. When the Padres non-tendered Ross, I thought he would be a good fallback option if they couldn’t acquire a pitcher via trade. Ross may have struggled last season to stay healthy, with a 0-1 record and an 11.81 ERA 5 1/3 innings. You might be rolling your eyes right now. Even the Padres didn’t want him.

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The Padres are rebuilding and did not want to spend the money to sign Ross after the injury plagued season. He is one season removed from a 212 strikeout season and two years from 195 strikeouts. When healthy, Ross can throw some heat, averaging 93.1 mph for his career via Fangraphs. He also features a slider and a changeup. He does struggle with control, but Brett Strom could work with that.

If it becomes a battle between the Astros and Rangers, it could get interesting. Do the Astros need him? No, but remember how it was last year when we had a couple of pitchers go down. Championship teams need rotation depth. That is what Ross offers. Don’t look for a long deal, but a two-year deal could be possible with option years. With Ross’ value low, he could be looking for the best one-year deal too?

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Should the Stros sign Ross just to block the Rangers? No, sign him if it will make the Astros a better team. He will not cost the Astros any prospects and most likely won’t require a long-term commitment. It’s surprising that Ross is still out there, but he is waiting for someone to show him the money. Will it be Houston? This is speculation of course, unless it happens.

***Stats courtesy from Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs***