Chicago Cubs: The pros and cons of signing Tyson Ross

With the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers the apparent finalists to sign Tyson Ross, what are the risks that come with him? We take a look at the best–and worst—case scenario for the Cubs should they sign Ross.

According to Jeff Passan, the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers are the favorites to land free agent starter Tyson Ross. Ross is a pitcher the Cubs have had their eye on over the past year and a half, and his unexpected arrival on the free agent market may have altered the front office’s plans. Ross is returning from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. It’s a compression of nerves and blood vessels in the lower neck and upper chest. And can also be a severe health issue if not taken care of.

The Rangers are no stranger to the injury.  Matt Harrison, Kenny Rogers and John Rheinecker have all had the procedure. The Cubs Clayton Richard also had surgery for it prior to coming to Chicago. So both teams are well aware of the good–and bad that can come with it. For the Cubs, it looks as if Ross is there only target as of now. But that could change during Spring Training. The Rangers appear to have former Cubs starter Jason Hammel on the radar as their contingency plan.

So what could these two expect out of Ross? There are only a handful of cases out there, and not many of them point to the positive side.