Baltimore Orioles: Five inexpensive pitchers the Orioles should target

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Mar 30, 2016; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Tyson Ross against the Seattle Mariners during a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Tyson Ross – Played one game in 2016

I was genuinely surprised when the Padres non-tendered Tyson Ross this offseason. While he missed all of 2016 (save for one game) with a shoulder problem, Ross has shown a lot of success in the past.

The 29-year-old pitched a 3.26 ERA over 196 innings with an impressive 9.73 K/9 in 2015 (it was his first year with more than 200 strikeouts). The year before, his ERA was an even better 2.81.

Ross has always been an excellent strikeout pitcher, with a career K/9 of 8.49 and a career swinging strike rate of 11.2%. That’s something that the Baltimore Orioles could certainly use in their starting rotation.

Ross has a bit of an injury concern, but similar to what I said with Alvarez, the reward is exceptionally high and the risk (considering he’d likely want a one-year deal to prove he can still start in the majors) is relatively low.

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Certainly most teams would want a multi-year deal from Ross, but even in a one-year deal, he could help fill a major need for the Orioles next season at a decent price.

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