Padres Editorial: Not Trading Tyson Ross is Biggest Mistake in Recent Memory
With the conclusion of the 2016 MLB Draft, all eyes have now turned to the trade deadline. Currently sitting in last place with a record of 26-39, and with James Shields already shipped out to Chicago, it remains pretty clear that the Padres will be sellers at this year’s trade deadline.
With the likes of Matt Kemp, Jon Jay, Fernando Rodney, Melvin Upton Jr. and others on the roster, it’s clear who the Padres would be looking to sell. One player that likely won’t be on that list is RHP Tyson Ross.
After being placed on the disabled list immediately following his first start of the season, one in which he got shelled on opening day, Ross has yet to make his return to the mound for the Padres. It’s been reported that Ross has recently begun a throwing program, and is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend, but it still remains unlikely that the right hander will see a return to the mound at the big league level until after the conclusion of the All-Star Break. With less than three weeks between the end of the All-Star Break and the August first trade deadline, it’s hard to imagine Ross being dealt in that time.
This for a pitcher who was arguably one of the ten or fifteen best in all of baseball last season. More importantly, this for a pitcher who has only one year remaining of team control before he is set to become a free agent following the 2017 season. In 2015, Ross finished the season with a 3.26 ERA and a 2.98 FIP as he was worth 4.4 fWAR on the year, easily the best year of his career.
Despite this success, the Padres chose to hold onto the right hander rather than cash him in as a trade asset. With the return of the likes of Shelby Miller and other pitchers, it’s easy to fantasize the kind of return that Ross could have brought back last offseason. The Padres front office apparently didn’t get an offer they liked, and now find themselves with a significant amount of regret on what could have been. It obviously would have been hard for the organization to lose a player of Ross’ caliber, but the value was certainly there.
By now the story is known. The Padres chose to hold onto Ross and now find themselves at a sort of crossroads. It appears to be pretty clear that the team will be unable to compete for the next several years, and will likely remain out of contention through the remainder of Ross’ team control. However, Ross’ trade value is now almost non-existent, as an injured pitcher is not a hot trade commodity by any stretch. Now all the Padres can do is wait until this offseason and hope Ross has a strong second half to the 2016 season.
It’s easy to say the Padres made the wrong decision with Ross in hindsight. It was obviously a monumental mistake. Coming off the best season of his career, and going into what was likely going to be a down year for the Padres, trading Tyson Ross was probably the best move the Padres front office could have made.
The Padres did not make that move and now the team must live with that mistake and hope they can have at least some chance of redemption. It remains to be seen when Ross will be healthy, but the Padres and their fans are obviously anxiously awaiting his return. A trade candidate no more, fans should be able to enjoy what could be the last few months of Tyson Ross as a San Diego Padre.
Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.
Another mistake to add to the long list of fuck ups by AJ Preller. Let’s hope we don’t make the same mistake with Pomeranz or Friedrich and flip those guys while the fish are biting.