Headlines

  • Guardians Release Carlos Santana
  • Brewers Place Trevor Megill On IL Due To Flexor Strain, Sign Erick Fedde
  • Guardians Place Carlos Santana On Outright Waivers
  • Pirates Designate Andrew Heaney For Assignment
  • Astros Reinstate Yordan Alvarez From Injured List
  • Nathan Eovaldi Likely Out For Season Due To Rotator Cuff Strain
  • 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
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 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

Joe Ross

Joe Ross To Have Tommy John Surgery

By charliewilmoth | July 15, 2017 at 4:24pm CDT

Nationals starter Joe Ross will have Tommy John surgery on Wednesday in Texas, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets. The Nats pulled Ross from his most recent start, then placed him on the DL with what the team first described as triceps discomfort and then as an elbow sprain.

Ross will, obviously, miss the rest of the season. The loss leaves the Nationals with a lack of good rotation depth — they have an enviable front four in Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark, but there’s a considerable dropoff after that. Potential short-term options include A.J. Cole, Jacob Turner, Austin Voth and Edwin Jackson, none of whom have done much this season to inspire confidence. Prospect Erick Fedde has fared well this year, but he only recently reached the Triple-A level.

The Nationals could, then, enter the trade market for starting pitching. As Jeff Todd pointed out yesterday, the Nats don’t necessarily need an extra starter for the playoffs, and they have a comfortable 9.5-game lead in the NL East. But the addition of another starter would likely give their bullpen a degree of comfort while also insuring themselves against the possibility of another injury to a starting pitcher.

The 24-year-old Ross had a 5.01 ERA in 73 2/3 innings this season, largely because of his 16 home runs allowed in that span. He posted 8.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 37.5 GB% that had fallen off sharply from the 49.8% rate he posted as a rookie in 2015.

Share 0 Retweet 6 Send via email0

Newsstand Transactions Washington Nationals Joe Ross

49 comments

Nationals Place Joe Ross On 10-Day DL; Jayson Werth Rehab Slowed

By Jeff Todd | July 14, 2017 at 6:14pm CDT

The Nationals have emerged from the break with two difficult pieces of injury news. Righty Joe Ross was placed on the 10-day DL, the club announced. Meanwhile, manager Dusty Baker said that outfielder Jayson Werth has not advanced as rapidly as had been hoped, as Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets.

Ross was pulled from his most recent start after showing worrying velocity readings and command problems. While the DL placement isn’t a major red flag in and of itself, the accompanying details aren’t terribly encouraging.

For one thing, the team announced the injury as an elbow sprain; previously, it had been labeled triceps discomfort. For another, Baker hinted at significant concern, as Castillo also tweeted. “We’re preparing for it to be a longer situation,” he said while indicating that the club is awaiting the results of an MRI.

While the Nationals have some options to take innings while Ross is out — A.J. Cole, Jacob Turner, Austin Voth, and even old favorite Edwin Jackson —  none seem like particularly exciting replacements if there’s an extended absence. The Nats likely won’t feel the need to add another starter to a prospective postseason rotation, and have a comfortable division lead, but could now look to add another starter at the deadline — particularly if that player would profile as a relief arm in the playoffs.

As for Werth, it doesn’t seem there has been a drastic change. But his toe injury hasn’t progressed as quickly as the team anticipated, leading Baker to suggest there’s still some healing to do before Werth will be ready for a rehab stint. For an older player with such a lengthy injury history, there’s perhaps a bit of added concern here.

It’s not clear whether Werth’s status will really change the club’s deadline plans, but there’s an argument to be made that it should. While the Nats have enjoyed stronger-than-expected performances from Michael Taylor and Brian Goodwin, the former is on the DL himself, and those two are perhaps best deployed as a platoon in center. (After all, the team is already covering for the loss of Adam Eaton, and it’s reasonable to anticipate some regression from those two homegrown assets.) Though veteran righty bats Chris Heisey and Ryan Raburn are still on hand as well, there’s some room for an addition to the outfield (or, perhaps, a utility type that could also help make up for the absence of shortstop Trea Turner).

Ultimately, there are quite a few more moving parts to the Nationals’ deadline than had been expected. While the club can reasonably assume that some of its injury woes will resolve over the coming weeks, the additional problems revealed today seem to boost the uncertainty.

With Ross heading to the DL and lefty Sammy Solis destined for an optional assignment to Triple-A, where he’ll try to solve his problems since returning from a lengthy DL stint, the Nats have promoted two new relief arms. Righties Austin Adams and Trevor Gott — both acquired in deals from the Angels over the past two years — will become the latest hurlers to attempt to aid the beleaguered unit.

Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Washington Nationals Austin Adams Jayson Werth Joe Ross Trevor Gott

5 comments

NL East Notes: Gordon, Joseph, Kingery, Ross

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2017 at 6:34pm CDT

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon is drawing trade interest from three teams, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter).  The Fish are known to be open to discussing any player under a long-term contract as they look to be deadline sellers, and Gordon is locked up through 2020 on an extension that will pay him $37MM in salary over the next three seasons, plus a $14MM club option for 2021 that carries a $1MM buyout.  (Gordon also has roughly $3MM left to be paid in this season’s salary.)  After a lost 2016 season that included an 80-game PED suspension, Gordon is hitting .298/.346/.363 in 368 PA this year, though the bulk of his value has come in the form of baserunning (31 steals in 37 attempts) and strong second base defense.  Gordon projects as a long-term asset rather than a deadline rental for interested clubs, which leads to some intriguing speculation about his potential market.  Several contenders and pseudo-contenders would use a boost in second base production, though some of those teams near the bottom of the list already have long-term second basemen who are simply underperforming.

Here’s more from around the NL East…

  • The Phillies have made first baseman Tommy Joseph available in trade talks, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports.  With prospect Rhys Hoskins raking at Triple-A, it has widely been expected that Joseph would be available at the deadline given that the two primary first basemen can’t really co-exist in the same lineup.  After a very rough start to the season, Joseph has recovered to post a .252/.313/.466 slash line and 15 homers through 323 plate appearances.  Though Joseph is 26, controllable through the 2022 season and has shown some solid power in his brief big league career, it is thought that the Phillies may only be able to get good value for him in a trade if packaged with a rental player.
  • While Hoskins seems very likely to get an audition in the big leagues this season, Phillies second base prospect Scott Kingery may remain at Triple-A in 2017, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Daily News writes.  Though Kingery only has 12 Triple-A games under his belt, roster logistics could be the main reason Kingery probably won’t see the Show in 2017.  If the Phils leave Kingery at Triple-A all year, they wouldn’t have to add him to the 40-man roster and thus protect him during the Rule 5 Draft in December.  Over 371 combined PA at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Kingery is hitting .312/.371/.606 with 22 home runs.
  • Nationals righty Joe Ross was removed during the fourth inning of his start today after experiencing a notable drop in velocity during the game.  Ross hadn’t been pitching well (three ER in 3 1/3 IP), though his removal came with one out and nobody on in the fourth inning, and Washington’s team trainer accompanied Dusty Baker and pitching coach Mike Maddux to the mound.  Baker described the injury as “triceps tenderness” in his postgame talk with MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters.  Ross had has an inconsistent season that saw him demoted to Triple-A for a brief spell, and the young right-hander has a 4.86 ERA for the Nats, thanks in large part to 15 homers allowed in just 70 1/3 IP.  Ross missed roughly 10 weeks last season due to shoulder soreness.
Share 0 Retweet 11 Send via email0

Miami Marlins Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals Dee Gordon Joe Ross Scott Kingery Tommy Joseph

41 comments

Nationals Notes: McCutchen, Gio, Harper, Fedde, Ross

By Steve Adams | May 18, 2017 at 12:28pm CDT

Last December’s Andrew McCutchen trade talks between the Nationals and Pirates included top prospect Lucas Giolito and left-hander Gio Gonzalez, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Heyman notes that talks between Pittsburgh and Washington centered around three players, and he reported back in December that Giolito and minor league righty Dane Dunning were a part of McCutchen talks. Some combination of Giolito, Dunning and Gonzalez (whose salary is roughly similar to that of McCutchen) certainly seems like a nice haul for the Pirates, though to be fair, Heyman hasn’t specifically listed that trio in a singular report, nor is it clear that said trio was ever actually offered. Furthermore, it’s not known whether the Nationals or the Pirates are the team that backed out of talks before Washington sent Giolito, Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez to the White Sox in exchange for Adam Eaton. McCutchen is off to an ugly .214/.286/.393 start at the plate, though Giolito hasn’t fared much better in the minors. Through 34 1/3 Triple-A innings, he’s posted a 6.55 ERA with 9.4 K/9, 5.0 BB/9 and a 43.3 percent ground-ball rate.

More notes on the Nats…

  • Asked about what type of money Bryce Harper will command in free agency, the GM of another club tells Heyman that he believes Harper will command closer to $500MM than $400MM on the open market. Furthermore, he stated a belief that $400MM is the “baseline” for a Harper contract in free agency. There’s been plenty of consternation among fans about whether Harper has truly lived up to the hype surrounding him in his career, though his 2015 NL MVP and .376/.491/.744 start to the 2017 campaign are undeniably strong points in his favor. Harper won’t turn 25 until the season comes to a close, and he’s already been worth 24-26 wins above replacement (depending on one’s preferred version of the metric). Whether that makes him worth an investment approaching half a billion dollars is, of course, another debate, but he certainly looks to have rounded back into form after reports of a shoulder injury that plagued him throughout a “down” season (by his standards) in 2016.
  • Nats general manager Mike Rizzo explained the team’s decision to move top prospect Erick Fedde to a bullpen role this season to Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Washington felt it would have to limit Fedde’s innings this year one way or another, and keeping him in a rotation role would’ve meant shutting him down in the minors at some point. However, by moving him to the ’pen, the Nats can not only manage his innings but also take a look at the former first-rounder on the Major League roster at some point. “If he was farther away from the big leagues in our mind, we probably would just shut his innings down when they were over, and utilize that,” said Rizzo. “…We thought all along that if we were to see Fedde in the big leagues this year, it would probably be in a relief role … as the bullpen struggled and we had three guys on the disabled list at one time, we thought this was a good time to use the transformation to get him into the bullpen.”
  • Rizzo also explained to Zuckerman that the Nats consider right-hander Joe Ross “too valuable” as a starting pitcher to consider a similar shift to the bullpen. Rizzo stated that Ross’ stuff is “too good” and referred to him as a “proven starter,” though the Nationals do currently have Ross in Triple-A in an effort to improve his effectiveness against left-handed opponents. Rizzo notes that Ross is “100 percent” healthy but may have been losing his release point as he worked deeper into starts.
Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Pittsburgh Pirates Washington Nationals Andrew McCutchen Bryce Harper Erick Fedde Gio Gonzalez Joe Ross Lucas Giolito

51 comments

Nationals Option Joe Ross; Jacob Turner Stepping Into Rotation

By Steve Adams | May 2, 2017 at 11:14am CDT

11:14am: The Nats have now announced the move, adding that right-hander A.J. Cole has been recalled from Syracuse to fill the vacant roster spot. As Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com points out (via Twitter), Cole will need to sit for three games before he’s eligible to pitch, as he still needs to complete a five-game suspension that was issued to him last year for throwing at Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang.

11:04am: The Nationals made the somewhat surprising decision to option right-hander Joe Ross to Triple-A Syracuse following yesterday’s game, per the team’s transactions page at MLB.com. While the club has yet to formally announce the move, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post confirms that Ross has indeed been optioned out, adding that right-hander Jacob Turner will join the rotation for the time being.

Ross was optioned to Triple-A to open the season as well, though that move was made largely due to the fact that the team didn’t need a fifth starter early in the year, and it also afforded the Nationals a chance to briefly limit the young righty’s innings. This move, however, is more about the Nationals’ desire for Ross to improve his changeup, according to Janes. Ross has been clobbered by lefties in three starts this season and has struggled against left-handed bats throughout his young career, yielding a .301/.374/.469 batting line to opponents that hold the platoon advantage.

That said, it’s still a bit curious to see Ross sent down. Platoon issues notwithstanding, he entered the season with a career 3.52 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and 45.5 percent ground-ball rate through 181 2/3 Major League innings. And while he’s struggled in his past two starts, one of those outings came at Coors Field. Beyond that, Turner has a limited track record in the Majors, having struggled to a 5.09 ERA through 330 innings, though Turner did show well in his own start in Colorado this season (six innings, three runs on six hits and no walks with six strikeouts).

It’s not clear if the demotion of Ross is a short-term move or if he’ll be left to sort things out in the minors for a lengthier stay. It doesn’t seem likely, however, that Ross would stay in the minors long enough to delay his path to free agency, as that’d require a Triple-A stint that spanned the majority of the season. Ross entered the 2017 campaign with one year, 94 days of service time and has already accrued 13 more days of service with his late-April promotion. As such, he needs 65 more days in the Majors to reach two full years of service time, which would keep him on pace to become a free agent following the 2021 season.

The corresponding move for Ross isn’t yet known, though Janes notes that it’ll likely be a reliever. Current options on the 40-man roster include Austin Adams, Trevor Gott and Rafael Martin, while veterans Joe Nathan and Neal Cotts are both in Syracuse on minor league deals.

Share 0 Retweet 9 Send via email0

Washington Nationals A.J. Cole Jacob Turner Joe Ross

21 comments

Nationals Call Up Joe Ross, Place Sammy Solis On 10-Day DL

By Jeff Todd | April 19, 2017 at 4:56pm CDT

The Nationals have announced that righty Joe Ross was recalled as expected to start tonight. To open roster space, the club placed lefty reliever Sammy Solis on the 10-day DL with what the team is calling elbow inflammation.

Ross, 23, was always slated to join the team’s rotation, but was allowed to start the season off slowly at Triple-A since he was limited to 105 MLB frames last year due to shoulder issues. He ended up throwing 9 2/3 innings over two starts, though, so it’s not as if he didn’t log any innings. And in the meantime, the Nats ended up getting a very poor outing from Jeremy Guthrie.

While the early season machinations may not have worked out quite as hoped, Ross will now step back into the fifth starter’s spot. He’ll look to continue the success he has enjoyed over his first two years in the majors, over which he has run up 181 2/3 innings of 3.52 ERA pitching with 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

As for Solis, there was no real indication of a problem last night, when he threw a scoreless frame. That was his first work in nearly a week, though, and he has dealt with arm issues in the past. Solis has been working at his customary 93 to 94 mph range with the fastball, but has been drawing swings and misses at just one-third the rate he did last year.

The move will provide an opportunity for Solis to try to rest up and get back on track. It’ll also avoid a more difficult question for the organization. Washington cannot option Matt Albers and Enny Romero, who are perhaps the two players who’d otherwise have been most at risk of losing their roster spots.

Share 0 Retweet 1 Send via email0

Washington Nationals Joe Ross Sammy Solis

4 comments

NL East Notes: Kendrick, Nats’ Closer, Ross, Bruce, Reyes

By Steve Adams | April 18, 2017 at 10:31pm CDT

The Phillies announced on Tuesday that left fielder Howie Kendrick has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to an abdominal strain, thus making him the second veteran Philadelphia addition to go down with an injury today. (Clay Buchholz will miss anywhere from four to six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon.) “It’s like upper abdomen, lower rib cage,” Kendrick told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “Hopefully it’s something that’s not a nuisance, but we’ll see. It hasn’t gotten any worse over the past couple days, so hopefully it’s something that’ll be done pretty quickly.” Fellow veteran Daniel Nava could be the primary substitute for Kendrick, though certainly the injury could lead to a bit of extra playing time for Aaron Altherr or Brock Stassi as well. As noted earlier tonight, the Phils selected the contract of right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. to fill Kendrick’s spot on the roster.

Elsewhere in the NL East…

  • The Nationals are considering a change in the ninth inning, manager Dusty Baker told reporters after he had to remove Blake Treinen in the ninth inning of tonight’s game (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Jamal Collier). “This ain’t working,” said Baker of the current alignment. Indeed, the Nats entered the day with a collective 6.25 ERA out of their bullpen — fourth-worst in all of baseball. Treinen lasted a third of an inning tonight and yielded a run on two hits and two walks before giving way to Shawn Kelley, who managed to salvage a 3-1 win for the defending NL East champs. Kelley and young right-hander Koda Glover seem like the two most plausible replacement options for Baker, though it’s unlikely that there’ll be definitive word on the situation until tomorrow. (Those chasing saves in fantasy baseball can follow @closernews on Twitter for updates on ninth-inning situations around the game.)
  • Right-hander Joe Ross will join the Nationals’ rotation tomorrow night after opening the year in Triple-A Syracuse, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (Twitter links). The Nats optioned Ross to Syracuse in an effort to help limit his innings early in the year, though Baker acknowledged that the decision backfired on them. (Jeremy Guthrie was shelled in his lone appearance for the Nationals when he started in place of Ross.) It’s worth debating exactly how much the decision even worked toward the Nationals’ stated goal, as Ross has already thrown 9 2/3 innings in a pair of Triple-A outings. Regardless, he’ll be a welcome addition to the D.C. rotation if he can approximate the 3.52 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and 45.5 percent ground-ball he posted through his first 181 2/3 Major League innings in 2015-16.
  • ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick interviewed Mets right fielder Jay Bruce about the slugger’s struggles following the 2016 trade that brought him to New York and the hot start he’s experienced in 2017. Bruce brushes off any previous suggestions that he “couldn’t handle” the move to the big city and the more imposing media market. Rather, he explains to Crasnick the difficulty he had being uprooted from his daily routine in Cincinnati. Bruce calls himself a “routine-oriented guy” and details that he stayed with six different teammates in addition to living out of hotels during his first few months with the Mets — all with his wife and infant son remaining behind in Ohio. “I understand how people come up with their thoughts,” Bruce tells Crasnick. “…I think it’s a pride thing with people from New York, and I get it. It’s an amazing city. It’s chewed a lot of people up and spit them out. That doesn’t even exist to me, though. This is the team I’m playing baseball for, with an incredible opportunity. I was just bad at baseball for a month.” As of this writing, Bruce is hitting a robust .275/.362/.529 with four homers in his final year before free agency.
  • There’s more concern in the Mets organization surrounding Jose Reyes’ woeful start to the 2017 season than the team is publicly expressing, writes Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Reyes picked up a double in tonight’s loss to the Phils but is still hitting just .100/.182/.140 on the season. Reyes, Ackert notes, was brought back with the hope that he could solidify the leadoff spot and allow Curtis Granderson’s 30-homer bat to hit lower in the order, but Reyes has been dropped to the bottom third of the order due to his poor performance. Michael Conforto hit leadoff for the second time this season on Tuesday, and Granderson has been in the leadoff slot three times in the past five games as well.
Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals Howie Kendrick Jay Bruce Joe Ross Jose Reyes

32 comments

NL Notes: Cubs, Mets, Nationals

By Connor Byrne | April 8, 2017 at 10:20pm CDT

Ben Zobrist started the majority of the Cubs’ regular-season games at second base in 2016, but Javier Baez is now in the process of becoming the team’s everyday option at the keystone, writes Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago. Baez started all 17 of the Cubs’ playoff games at second last fall and has opened 2017 by lining up there in four of five contests, which has pushed Zobrist into a super-utility role. Manager Joe Maddon isn’t ready to declare Baez the Cubs’ starter at second, largely because of “all the versatility” the team’s position players possess. However, he admitted that “pretty much what you’ve seen to this point, I think, is like a good indicator of what we’re going to be able to do with everybody being healthy.”

More on two other potential National League contenders:

  • Although Travis d’Arnaud is not among the 10 Mets who are scheduled to hit free agency after this season, this is nonetheless a crucial year for the catcher, observes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets will need to allocate a large portion of their offseason spending to positions other than catcher next winter, meaning they’d like to avoid having to upgrade behind the plate. The club eschewed free agent catchers this past winter in order to give d’Arnaud another chance to establish himself as a legitimate starter. That came in spite of the fact that the former top prospect has consistently dealt with injury problems, and he only hit .247/.307/.323 in 276 plate appearances last season. The 28-year-old was quite useful in 2015, though (albeit over only 268 PAs), and still regards himself a long-term piece for the Mets. “Big time,” said d’Arnaud, who’s controllable via arbitration through 2019.
  • Shortstop Trea Turner departed the Nationals’ loss to the Phillies on Saturday with a hamstring issue, but it seems he dodged a major injury. Manager Dusty Baker only expects Turner to miss a couple days, Dan Kolko of MASN was among those to report (Twitter link). That’s the lone good news of the night for the Nationals, who were on the wrong end of a football-like score (17-3) in Philadelphia.
  • Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie got the start for the Nationals on Saturday, his first major league action since 2015, but probably won’t be long for their rotation. Baker stated before the game, via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, that the demoted Joe Ross “will be back.” The skipper also insisted Ross and Guthrie aren’t competing for the fifth spot in the Nats’ rotation. Regardless, Guthrie didn’t exactly make his case for the role. In a nightmarish showing, the 38-year-old yielded 10 earned runs on six hits and four walks over just two-thirds of an inning. Ross will be eligible to return to the majors next week.
Share 0 Retweet 6 Send via email0

Chicago Cubs New York Mets Washington Nationals Ben Zobrist Javier Baez Jeremy Guthrie Joe Ross Travis D'Arnaud Trea Turner

20 comments

NL Notes: CarGo, Phillies, Stearns, Brewers, Ross

By Mark Polishuk | January 8, 2017 at 1:53pm CDT

The Rockies still want to extend Carlos Gonzalez’s contract, GM Jeff Bridich tells ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden.  The two sides “are still far apart on a deal but they’re working on it,” Bowden writes, and Gonzalez is also believed to have interest in staying in Colorado.  This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings about an extension between Gonzalez and the Rockies this winter, though as of last month, the club hadn’t yet extended a formal offer.  Here’s more from around the National League…

  • In an interview with Bowden and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link), Phillies president Andy MacPhail said his team’s next move is to try and add a left-handed hitter.  The Phils are known to be looking for another bat, with such lefty swingers as Brandon Moss, Michael Saunders and Jay Bruce mentioned as potential candidates.
  • The Brewers are still looking for relief pitching, GM David Stearns tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, exploring trade opportunities and both major league or minor league signings.  When asked if Milwaukee was favoring trades over signings (or vice versa), Stearns said “I don’t know that we have a firm preference. We have to explore all avenues.”  Stearns also noted that the Brewers are “active on a number of fronts” in regards to adding position players, though he also felt generally comfortable with the team’s pre-existing mix of everyday players and relievers.
  • Recent reports have cited the Nationals as one of the teams in pursuit of Tyson Ross, and they may have a recruiter on hand in Joe Ross, Tyson’s younger brother.  “I’ve been trying to get him over here,” Joe tells Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, joking that Tyson “can come here as long as he doesn’t take my job.”  As Castillo notes, the younger Ross doesn’t appear to be in any danger of losing his rotation job following two solid seasons in the bigs, and Ross said he is feeling healthy after missing time last year due to shoulder soreness.
Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

Colorado Rockies Milwaukee Brewers Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals Carlos Gonzalez David Stearns Joe Ross Tyson Ross

67 comments

East Notes: Revere, Braves, Bird, Ross

By Steve Adams | December 22, 2016 at 11:09pm CDT

Free agent center fielder Ben Revere is reportedly likely to sign in the near future (as MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko first relayed earlier today), and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets that the Blue Jays won’t be his landing spot. That crosses the Blue Jays and Orioles (per Kubatko) off the list for Revere — two teams that could conceivably be in the market for a left-handed-hitting outfielder with some speed. Multiple teams still make some degree of sense for Revere, with the Giants, Mariners, Rangers, Angels and Tigers all striking me as on-paper fits (though that list is purely speculative). Non-tendered by the Nats this offseason, Revere logged a dismal .217/.260/.300 batting line in 375 plate appearances in 2016, but he’d batted .305 or better in each of the three prior seasons.

  • Braves president of baseball operations John Hart spoke with MLB.com’s Hal Bodley about the parallels between the rebuild he’s helped to architect in Atlanta and the one that he led in Cleveland back in the early to mid-90s. Hart also discussed the team’s decision to promote Dansby Swanson this past summer and the decision to add a trio of veteran starters — Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, Jaime Garcia — this winter despite the team’s bulk of young pitching. “We didn’t want to stand in the way of our young pitchers, so we went with guys who I think are going to give us innings,” said Hart of adding three starters on one-year commitments. “I think this gives us a more competitive ballclub going into the new park. I don’t think this deviates from the plan we have.”
  • The Yankees “appear content” with Matt Holliday serving as the major offensive addition to their roster this winter, writes MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, which increases the importance of Greg Bird to the team’s 2017 roster. Bird is the early favorite to serve as manager Joe Girardi’s everyday first baseman next year, and GM Brian Cashman said that getting a look at Bird in the Arizona Fall League was important. “All we care about is him having a full healthy Fall League, which he’s done,” said Cashman. “It checks the box and we’ll be looking forward to seeing him in Spring Training. All reports are, he looks good.” Bird and Tyler Austin could compete for time at first base and may eventually settle into a platoon, while the outfield could see Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks in a similar spring battle for playing time, Hoch writes.
  • Nationals right-hander Joe Ross missed significant time with a shoulder injury in 2016, but MLB.com’s Jamal Collier writes that the 23-year-old’s arm is back to health. Ross took a few weeks off to rest his shoulder, and it’s now full strength as Ross progresses through his typical offseason routine. As Collier points out, the trades of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez magnify the importance of getting a healthy season out of Ross. Notably, Ross said he’s tinkering with some potential mechanical alterations to his delivery and throwing program in an effort to stay healthier next year.
Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Atlanta Braves New York Yankees Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Ben Revere Greg Bird Joe Ross

53 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
Show all
    Top Stories

    Guardians Release Carlos Santana

    Brewers Place Trevor Megill On IL Due To Flexor Strain, Sign Erick Fedde

    Guardians Place Carlos Santana On Outright Waivers

    Pirates Designate Andrew Heaney For Assignment

    Astros Reinstate Yordan Alvarez From Injured List

    Nathan Eovaldi Likely Out For Season Due To Rotator Cuff Strain

    Mets To Promote Jonah Tong

    BBWAA To Institute Relief Pitcher Of The Year Award In 2026

    Zack Wheeler Recommended For Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery

    Frankie Montas Done For 2025 Due To “Pretty Significant” UCL Injury

    Orioles Extend Samuel Basallo

    Astros Sign Craig Kimbrel

    Pirates Promote Bubba Chandler

    Evan Carter Diagnosed With Fractured Wrist

    Blue Jays Activate Shane Bieber

    MLB, ESPN Nearing Deal Involving MLB.TV And In-Market Rights For Five Clubs

    Rays Promote Carson Williams

    Red Sox To Promote Jhostynxon Garcia, Place Wilyer Abreu On IL

    Kyle Tucker Was Diagnosed With Hairline Hand Fracture In June

    Félix Bautista Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Expected To Miss 12 Months

    Recent

    Poll: NL Rookie Of The Year Check-In

    Guardians Release Carlos Santana

    Giants Unlikely To Call Up Bryce Eldridge This Year

    Red Sox Reinstate Justin Slaten From 60-Day IL

    Orioles Designate Roansy Contreras For Assignment

    The Opener: Slaten, Chapman, Pitchers’ Duel

    Fantasy Baseball Subscriber Chat With Nicklaus Gaut

    What Kind Of Contract Can Framber Valdez Command?

    MLBTR Podcast: A Conversation With Pirates GM Ben Cherington — Also The O’s, Zack Wheeler, And The Rangers

    MLB Mailbag: Kyle Tucker, Nick Lodolo, Bo Bichette, Rays, Mets

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

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    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
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 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