Phillies find the pitching swingman they sought with Joe Ross signing originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Two days before the Phillies traded for Jesus Luzardo, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski mentioned a swingman who could start and relieve as an item on their offseason wish list.
Their rotation is now full with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Luzardo, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, but the Phils still went and added that swingman, agreeing to a one-year contract on Monday with veteran right-hander Joe Ross.
The deal, worth $4 million according to The Athletic, is similar to the one the Phillies signed Spencer Turnbull to last offseason.
Ross appeared in 25 games last season as a Brewer with 10 starts. As a reliever, 12 of his 15 appearances were scoreless, and he lasted at least five innings in seven of the 10 starts. Overall, he pitched to a 3.77 ERA in 74 innings.
Ross becomes the eighth member in a Phillies bullpen that will include Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks and Jose Ruiz. Barring injury or drastic underperformance in camp from Ruiz, it looks like just one bullpen spot will be up for grabs.
Other pitchers on the Phillies’ 40-man roster are:
• Taijuan Walker, who is due $18 million each of the next two seasons and in the midst of an offseason throwing program designed to increase his velocity. The Ross signing makes him even more redundant if Walker’s velo isn’t back to a reasonable range.
• Max Lazar and Michael Mercado, who appeared with the Phillies last season.
• Offseason additions Nick Vespi and Devin Sweet.
• Starting pitching prospects Mick Abel, Moises Chace and Jean Cabrera, who will almost certainly continue to start in the minors rather than serve as the final mop-up spot in a big-league bullpen. The same is likely true for Seth Johnson. Tyler Phillips, Kyle Tyler and Alan Rangel are on the 40-man roster but have been used more so as starters to this point.
The Phillies’ four main offseason additions have been Romano, outfielder Max Kepler, Luzardo and Ross. The four will combine to earn approximately $28.5 million in 2025. The Phillies’ payroll from a luxury tax perspective is approximately $305 million, past the fourth and most expensive threshold of $301 million. This is the third consecutive year they are projected to exceed the luxury tax and would thus be subject to the harshest financial and draft pick penalties.
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