The Phillies have signed veteran righty Joe Ross to a one-year deal, the team announced. RHP José Cuas was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic was the first to report that the Phillies had signed Ross. Gelb says the deal will pay Ross $4 million. The 31-year-old former first-round pick has pitched in parts of seven MLB seasons, primarily with the Washington Nationals. Ross has a 4.19 ERA in his career.
This move comes a day after the Phillies pulled off a rather stunning trade to acquire LHP Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins. One would think the Opening Day starting rotation will now include Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez. No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter is also expected to make his MLB debut at some point during the summer.
However, Ross gives the Phillies a possible spot starter in the event there's an injury or they go to a six-man rotation at some point in 2025. The veteran posted a 3.77 ERA across 25 games for the Milwaukee Brewers this past year, making 10 starts and 15 relief appearances. He'll likely be the long man to open the season.
Of course, adding another option who could potentially start will further trade speculation about Suárez, who is entering his contract year. Suárez hired Scott Boras last week to represent him. That leads you to believe he'll test free agency after the season and go to the highest bidder. Maybe the Phillies can get more for him now than they would if he declines a qualifying offer and leaves in free agency next offseason.
President of baseball operations Dave Dobmrowski is slated to meet with the media via Zoom this evening, so we'll have a better idea of what it all means soon.
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