Headlines

  • Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez
  • Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff
  • Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Bobby Jenks Passes Away
  • Braves Release Alex Verdugo
  • Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Tigers Sign Tyson Ross

By Jeff Todd | December 10, 2018 at 6:08pm CDT

6:08PM: The Tigers have officially announced the signing.

2:58PM: The Tigers have struck a deal with free agent righty Tyson Ross, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s a $5.75MM guarantee over a single season, with a readily achievable roster bonus that would add another $250K, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

Ross, 31, finally got back on track last year after a pair of injury marred campaigns. He ended up throwing 149 2/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball, with 7.3 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 along with a 45.9% groundball rate.

Clearly, that’s not quite a vintage Ross showing. He was a 3.07 ERA hurler over a 516 2/3 inning run from 2013 to 2015. For a pitcher who once steadily worked in the mid-nineties, it’s hardly promising to see a career-low 91.7 mph average fastball. And he was far shy of his peak strikeout and groundball rates.

All that being said, it’s still rather impressive that Ross was able to turn in a full season after shoulder issues and eventual thoracic outlet procedure sidetracked his career. His prior effort, in 2017 with the Rangers, had fallen notably flat as he struggled to stay in the zone.

For Detroit, Ross will join the recently inked Matt Moore to help fill out the rotation and perhaps provide the club with a summer trade chip. That approach yielded dividends this past season with Mike Fiers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Share 0 Retweet 14 Send via email0

Detroit Tigers Newsstand Transactions Tyson Ross

Pitching Notes: Gray, Reds, Ray, Santana, Pomeranz, Nationals, Eovaldi
Main
Cashman On Harper, Machado, Gregorius, Kikuchi, Corbin
View Comments (51)
Post a Comment

51 Comments

  1. Zach725

    7 years ago

    Wrong link.

    Reply
    • PickleRiccck

      7 years ago

      Seem correct to me.

      Reply
      • Zach725

        7 years ago

        They fixed it now.

        Reply
  2. bleacherbum

    7 years ago

    5.75MM Guaranteed for Tyson Ross? Ouch

    2
    Reply
    • Joe Kerr

      7 years ago

      As an outsider looking in, it makes sense to me. He gets to pitch in a big ballpark against a weak division to rebuild his value. He’s a good flip candidate if he pitches well and even if he doesn’t, he isn’t breaking the bank.

      12
      Reply
      • TheIncident

        7 years ago

        He pitched well for the Padres and was dirt cheap last year and they couldn’t get anything at the deadline for him. Still could be flipped this year but I wouldn’t expect anything of real value based on last years deadline. $6mil seems pretty steep.

        4
        Reply
    • coldbeer

      7 years ago

      Probably had to guarantee more money to avoid a 2 year deal.

      7
      Reply
    • Jbigz12

      7 years ago

      Same amount they gave Fiers coming off a worse season. If it works out anything like that I’m sure they’ll be happy. Good sign by Detroit. Not a lot of reliable arms in their rotation.

      5
      Reply
  3. depressedtribefan

    7 years ago

    chaaaampionship

    2
    Reply
    • 3rdStrikeLooking

      7 years ago

      “Ah, another idiot.”

      4
      Reply
      • rocknwell

        7 years ago

        Saaaarcasm

        Reply
      • miggy4prez

        7 years ago

        A lot of those in Tigers posts lately

        2
        Reply
  4. bucketbrew35

    7 years ago

    The Tigers certainly are cornering the market on mediocre starters.

    4
    Reply
    • TheTrotsky

      7 years ago

      The Rangers: Hold my beer

      9
      Reply
    • pustule bosey

      7 years ago

      i know, sucks to be the Orioles who aren’t going to have any left to sign

      3
      Reply
  5. xabial

    7 years ago

    5.75M guarantee and best case he gets traded to a contender

    Now that’s what I call win-win. Pillow contract 101, folks.

    13
    Reply
    • swanhenge

      7 years ago

      Yep

      1
      Reply
    • bleacherbum

      7 years ago

      He was soooo good last year that the Padres couldn’t even find a taker for him at the deadline. They had to let him get taken on waivers by the Cardinals in which he was pedestrian at best like he was for the first 3 months of the season with the Padres but okay.

      Celebrate the over-pay. He shouldn’t have cost more than 3 million.

      3
      Reply
      • 3rdStrikeLooking

        7 years ago

        Thank you Johnny Super Scout, for taking time out of your busy day to bless us with this rubbish assessment.

        6
        Reply
        • TheIncident

          7 years ago

          Well he is right in some regards. Ross pitched pretty well last year and the Padres couldn’t find anyone to take him at the deadline. Plus he was making 1/3 of this contract. Could still be a good deal but I wouldn’t bank on getting a return at the deadline.

          3
          Reply
        • Saint Chris

          7 years ago

          The Tigers are banking on him being better than last year. He had an adequate year last year coming off surgery. There should/could be more improvements in his stuff and command as he will be two years removed from injury. It’s also worth pointing out that teams are wary of trading for pitchers from SD, as there ballpark is so extremely pitcher friendly, it’s impossible to expect a pitcher’s results to be the same in a normal ballpark.

          Reply
      • Jbigz12

        7 years ago

        He posted a 3.65 FIP coming out of STL’s pen. Preller didn’t want to pay him anymore so he put him on waivers. Odd to gripe over such a small guaranteed sum a year after guys like Cashner and Vargas received 16MM guarantees.

        5
        Reply
  6. jay13

    7 years ago

    Was actually hoping the brewers would have taken a chance on him. Could be a nice deadline deal waiting to happen for the tigers.

    5
    Reply
    • algionfriddo

      7 years ago

      Milwaukee is a tough park for flyball pitchers. I was hoping for his sake he could sign with the Giants. If healthy, Detroit did well.

      Reply
  7. jdgoat

    7 years ago

    Mike Fiers 2.0.

    3
    Reply
  8. Payne Train

    7 years ago

    I like it

    Reply
  9. Luke Strong

    7 years ago

    I like the deal for the Tigers… Ross is a full season back from TOS surgery, he was solid last season with lower velocity than before the surgery, but probably not entirely healed… now, he should be healed more, and if he can get his velocity up a couple ticks (prior to arm problems, he threw a dominating slider and a solid fastball to go with it), he has a real shot at having a strong season and being a hot commodity at the deadline. With Tigers signing Ross and Moore, it’s a near guarantee they’re trading Boyd away while his value is near its peak. It won’t take much for Ross to give the Tigers solid value out of this deal.

    4
    Reply
    • Jbigz12

      7 years ago

      Is boyd’s Value at a peak? Maybe but he just posted very pedestrian back end starter numbers. 4.39/4.45 FIP. I’m sure it has some value to a non contending team as a #4 starter but I don’t think you’re getting much for those results.

      Reply
      • Luke Strong

        7 years ago

        Boyd’s value is his youth, team control and prospect of improving in the future. He’s worth more than you’re giving credit.

        Reply
  10. mattcubs

    7 years ago

    Seems like a fine deal to me. Tigers have a great deal of salary cap room and are rebuilding. Best case scenario Ross pitches to a 3.75 ERA or lower during first half of the season and the Tigers flip him for some prospects to a contender to aid in their rebuild. Worst case scenario he pitches poorly and he leaves next year after only having made 5.75 million.

    Given that the Tigers aren’t contending this year, isn’t this the kind of deal you’d want your team to be making?

    4
    Reply
  11. Soldierofgod619

    7 years ago

    As a Padres fan this is a good pickup for the Tigers. A groundball pitcher in a spacious ballpark,moderate salary can be flipped in the deadline.

    4
    Reply
  12. dobsonel

    7 years ago

    Low risk high reward. I’ve heard TOS is tricky to come back from. If he takes another step forward he could turn into a nice trade chip.

    Reply
  13. Ejemp2006

    7 years ago

    Now the Tigers have six starters; Zimmerman, Fulmer, Boyd, Norris, Moore, and Ross. Not sure what the plan is here boys.

    Reply
    • Jbigz12

      7 years ago

      Do you believe that all of them will be healthy all season? Or effective? I think they’ll need that many.

      Reply
    • diller79

      7 years ago

      Norris will come out of the pen

      1
      Reply
      • Ejemp2006

        7 years ago

        Norris and the team have mentioned his need for a full warm-up in order to maximize effectiveness. Don’t expect him to come out of pen. Im hoping to hear Gardy come out and say they are going to try a novel approach like last year’s Rays, maybe use the younger core as 3inning openers… but I shouldn’t hold my breath because Gardy is not the dynamic type of guy who does novel things successfully.

        Reply
        • diller79

          7 years ago

          The tigers would never mess with their young starters by using them as “openers” that would just be stupid

          Reply
    • Saint Chris

      7 years ago

      Yes, they have six starters, but they may need twelve with the injury history of that cast.

      Reply
  14. bobtillman

    7 years ago

    With Zimmerman, Fulmer, Boyd, Norris, Moore and Ross, Tigers now have no starters……

    But to ditto, why not? They have gobs of money, why not roll the dice and play for July 31. Other teams that have the coin should do a LOT of this.

    Reply
    • Ejemp2006

      7 years ago

      I don’t know if they’ve still got gobs of money. Illitch ran the team like we all wish we could run a team; sign your favorite players and go for the gusto every year, to hell with profit margins. I dont think this generation is going to spend like that and willingly accept losses on baseball operations. But to your point, I selfishly like these moves because it’s getting me excited about the Tigers again. Hopefully, double gum drop wishes, this duct tape job can catch some lightning in a bottle and be buyers come July 31. Too hopeful? Yeah, but whatever, Go Tigers!

      1
      Reply
      • bobtillman

        7 years ago

        Ya I suppose Pop gave Dombrowski an open checkbook and told him to “do the best you can”….a bit like giving Willie Sutton the keys to the vault and telling him the same thing……

        But I for one like what they’ve done so far. They’re walking the tightrope, trying to remain at least marginally competitive, while rebuilding. And they’re rebuilding the right way, with pitching and athletes. And I’ve had man-love for Gardy for decades.

        It’s not a tough division….they can get back in the hunt quicker, than say, the Orioles can. The White Sox seem to draft and make trades out of Baseball America; the Royals are quite a way away. The Indians (sharp guys out there) are “reimaging” at exactly the right time. They’ll be tough. Sometimes the Twins just look confused.

        I’d like to see them be a BIT more aggressive; taking on Desmond’s contract maybe from the Rox and pilfering from their system. And scouring the minors for the Muncy-s and Wendle-s of the world.

        1
        Reply
  15. NerdPowahh

    7 years ago

    Tigers are making smart moves this offseason. Not breaking the bank and keeping players on one-year deals in hopes of flipping them for lotto tickets as they rebuild.

    Now if both Ross and Moore crap out? So what. That just helps them tank for next season.

    1
    Reply
  16. Cam

    7 years ago

    Makes absolute sense. If he’s pitching anywhere near league-average level, he’ll be shipped out of town by midseason.

    Reply
  17. csspackler

    7 years ago

    He’s a good guy, too.

    1
    Reply
  18. NoviScott

    7 years ago

    6 starters!!! Someone’s gonna go!

    Reply
    • jdgoat

      7 years ago

      Norris back to Toronto for Pillar?

      Reply
    • oldleftylong

      7 years ago

      Boyd to Trader Jerry in Seattle.

      Reply
  19. BobSacamano

    7 years ago

    I like the signing, wish they signed Pomeranz instead of Matt Moore though.

    Reply
  20. ThatBallwasBryzzoed

    7 years ago

    1 year deal traded to a contender in june/July.

    Reply
  21. RedRooster

    7 years ago

    Kinda wanted SD to bring him back. But oh well.

    Reply
  22. joefriday1948

    7 years ago

    Castellanos. for a 23 rd pick. A real steal

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Recent

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Rays Notes: Rasmussen, Boyle, Lowe, Kim

    Nationals Sign Luis Garcia

    Cubs, Tigers Among Teams Interested In Ke’Bryan Hayes

    AL Central Notes: Thomas, Ragans, Lynch, Cobb

    Padres To Activate Yu Darvish On Monday

    Rhys Hoskins Suffers Grade 2 Thumb Sprain, Headed To IL

    Rays Sign Peter Strzelecki To Minor League Contract

    MLB Announces 2025 All-Star Rosters

    Brewers Outright Daz Cameron, Select Anthony Seigler

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version