Cody Ross To Sign With Diamondbacks; Phillies Miss Out On Overrated Talent
By John Stolnis
Cody Ross will not be a Phillies. Thank goodness. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
The remaining outfield options for the Phillies shrunk by one on Saturday, with free agent Cody Ross agreeing to a three-year, $26 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ross was one of the few remaining right-handed bats on the market with some pop. Last year he hit .267/.326/.481 with 22 home runs, 81 RBI and an .807 OPS in 130 games for the Red Sox. And, with a three-year deal in his pocket, Ross now heads to one of the Major’s friendliest-hitting parks, Chase Field.
At three years and $26 million, the likelihood that the 32-year-old Ross will live up to that contract is unlikely.
Not only that, no one in Philadelphia likes him anyway.
Yeah, that would have just been unacceptable here.
Of course, that leaves the Phils with one less option to fill their corner outfield spot. Nick Swisher is the only big-name free agent left standing, and still wants a big deal. The Phils would also have to give up their #16 overall pick in this year’s draft if they sign him, something they do not want to do.
So do the Phils go platoon in the outfield, or is there a trade possibility still on the horizon?
Arizona now has a surplus of outfielders, and it’s likely one of them will be on the move.
With the Diamondbacks signing of Cody Ross does this mean that Jason Kubel gets traded...or maybe even Justin Upton? hmmmmmm
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) December 22, 2012
Others in the sport guessing Seattle would be the logical landing spot for the Arizona's surplus outfielder, whether in be Kubel or other.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 22, 2012
Jason Kubel would make more sense if he wasn’t such a terrible defensive outfielder. A platoon of Kubel and Ruf in left and Mayberry and Brown in right isn’t sexy, but could be productive offensively.
Defensively, it would be a nightmare.
And for anyone thinking about the Phils making a play for Justin Upton, it’s not going to happen. It makes no sense for Arizona to trade him, and the Phillies certainly don’t have the pieces in their minor league system to swing a deal for a player like him.
I mean, have you seen Baseball America’s Top 10 for the Phils? Yikes.
At the end of the day, the only effect the Ross signing has on the Phillies is to confirm that Ruben Amaro didn’t have much interest in him to begin with.
Nor should he have. For the amount of money he’s getting from Arizona, the Phils can come close to that production with a platoon situation in-house.
Spending money, just for the sake of spending it, does no one any good.