Phillies find the pitcher they were looking for with the signing of Joe Ross 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 complete with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Luzardo, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, but the Phils went ahead and added this swingman anyway, agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran right-hander Joe Ross on Monday.
The deal, worth $4 million according to The Athletic, is similar to the one the Phillies signed with Spencer Turnbull last offseason.
Ross played 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 10 starts. Overall, he pitched to a 3.77 ERA in 74 innings.
Ross becomes the eighth member of a Phillies bullpen that will include Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks and Jose Ruiz. Barring an injury or drastic underperformance from Ruiz in camp, it appears that only one bullpen spot will be up for grabs.
Other pitchers on the Phillies 40-man roster are:
• Taijuan Walker, owed $18 million each of the next two seasons and in the midst of an offseason throwing program designed to increase his velocity. The signing of Ross makes him even more redundant if Walker’s velocity hasn’t returned to a reasonable range.
• Max Lazar and Michael Mercado, who played with the Phillies last season.
• Off-season additions Nick Vespi and Devin Sweet.
• Rookie pitchers Mick Abel, Moises Chace and Jean Cabrera, who will almost certainly continue to start in the minors rather than serving as the last catching spot in a big league bullpen. The same probably goes for Seth Johnson. Tyler Phillips, Kyle Tyler and Alan Rangel are on the 40-man roster, but have been used more as starters thus far.
The Phillies’ four main offseason additions were Romano, outfielder Max Kepler, Luzardo and Ross. The four will combine to earn about $28.5 million in 2025. The Phillies’ payroll, from a luxury tax perspective, is about $305 million, above the fourth and most expensive threshold of $301 million. This is the third year in a row that they would have to exceed the luxury tax and would therefore be subject to the most severe financial and selection sanctions.
