Chicago Cubs: Is right-hander Tyson Ross still on the Cubs winter radar?

The Chicago Cubs are still searching high and low for that final arm to fill their starting rotation. With a handful of names still swirling around the free agency pool, it appears as if one remains on their radar.

Over the past few years, Chicago Cubs’ President, Theo Epstein has reeled in some huge names for the club. Starting off with Jon Lester, Joe Maddon, Miguel Montero, and rounding it out with Jason Heyward and John Lackey.

After the departure of veteran right-hander, Jason Hammel, there is a gap in the rotation that needs to be filled. But before Lackey arrived, Epstein and former San Diego Padres general manager, Jed Hoyer, showed interest in one man.

That man being right-hander, Tyson Ross. The two have been linked for a while now but the Cubs have always missed out on their guy.

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Just yesterday, CBS Sports reported that the Cubs were showing the most interest in Ross. Despite pitching in only one game in 2016, Tyson could fill in nicely under Chris Bosio.

Bosio has received a ton of praise following his work with Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, and a few other young pitchers on the staff.

Although he underwent surgery, knowing he missed a ton of playing time due to an injury won’t stop the Cubs from signing him.

Second Chances

Remember, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer is all about second chances. This team has experimented with a few veterans who underwent surgeries that kept them out for months at a time. It is all about how well you bounce back and perform.

Most of the time, it works out in the end. Hopefully, if the Cubs do end up signing him, Ross could be another one of those stories. The only question right now is how much is he willing to take to join a competitive team?

In 2016, Ross made $9.6 million with the Padres. A three million dollar bump compared to his 2015 salary when he was 28-years-old. So, if the two sides come to an agreement, it’s obvious that his deal would involve multiple years.

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Although he received a bump in pay following the 2015 campaign, the chances of the Cubs giving him over $9 million a year are highly unlikely. Nothing against Tyson but dishing out that kind of money for someone who missed pretty much the entire year are pretty slim.

In his only start of the year, he gave up seven earned runs on nine hits while issuing one walk and striking out five in 5 1/3 innings. Don’t let these stats fool you, there is plenty of potential there as he could end up turning into a solid No. 4 starter when Lackey is gone.