Waves of small transactions are happening all over the Major League Baseball world as contenders try to find last-minute upgrades to their potential playoff rosters. The Philadelphia Phillies shook up their pitching staff by releasing failed long reliever Joe Ross and most notably adding former All-Star Walker Buehler on a minor-league pact.
Another National League contender, the Chicago Cubs, had the same idea by ironically signing Ross to a minor-league deal to potentially shore up their bullpen.
Recently released former Phillies hurler Joe Ross finds new home with Chicago Cubs
The Phillies' expectations for Ross probably weren't too high when they inked him to a one-year, $4 million contract this past offseason. The eight-year MLB veteran's career numbers heading into 2025 were far from eye-popping and were worsened by his awful season which caused Phillies fans to beg the team to do away with his services. They did just that when they released Ross on Aug. 26 and controversially failed to do the same with the far worse Jordan Romano.
The selling point for Ross was the length that he could provide the Phillies. Ross was used for one emergency start this season and most of the runs given up in his 5.12 ERA were as a long man pitching multiple innings in a blowout. That's a role that the Phillies hoped Ross would fill seamlessly after they experienced success with Spencer Turnbull in the same role in the 2024 season.
Funny enough, Turnbull also signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs in July before opting out and recently signing with the Kansas City Royals, his third organization of the season. The Cubs' pitching staff is a solid one, with them having stars like Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga and a team ERA of 3.88, the ninth-best in the league.
But MLB clubs will tell you it's never a bad thing to upgrade your pitching depth, especially if you're one of the top contenders in the sport. Entering Thursday, the Cubs are currently 80-60 and six games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first in the NL Central. They hold the NL's top Wild Card spot and are a potential playoff matchup for the Phillies, whom they've never played before in the postseason.