Apparently the Philadelphia Phillies weren’t done in terms of pitching upgrades for the 2025 season. Following their recent massive trade for promising starter Jesús Luzardo, the Phillies have added another intriguing piece to their pitching staff.
On Monday, Philadelphia reached an agreement with veteran right-handed pitcher and former World Series champion Joe Ross on a one-year deal worth $4 million according to a league source, as reported by Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. To make room for Ross on their 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher José Cuas was designated for assignment.
The Phillies have agreed to terms on a contract for the 2025 season with RHP Joe Ross. To make room for Ross on the 40-man roster, RHP José Cuas has been designated for assignment.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) December 23, 2024
Phillies sign former World Series champion to potentially finalize 2025 bullpen
Ross is coming off a solid 2024 season with the Milwaukee Brewers in which he posted a 3-6 record with a 3.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched over 25 games, which included 10 starts. More importantly, he performed exceptionally well in the role as a reliever, compiling an impressive 1.67 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, giving up just five earned runs with 11 walks and 27 strikeouts in 27 innings of work over 15 relief appearances. That was likely what caught the eye of the Phillies’ brass as they looked to put the finishing touches to their bullpen for 2025. In particular, with the Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicating that they are happy with where they are with their bullpen now, according to Devan Kaney of SportsRadio 94WIP, Ross appears destined for the bullpen with potentially no further reliever adds this offseason.
Therefore, with the fallout of the Luzardo and Ross additions in recent days, Philadelphia will be heading into the upcoming season with their relief corps practically set. They will likely be led by newly-signed Jordan Romano, along with the returnees Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks, José Alvarado and José Ruiz. Taijuan Walker is likely destined for a relief role now that Luzardo becomes part of the rotation, while the latest Ross signing rounds out the eight-man group for the Phillies.
On top of that, given the extensive experience of Ross as a starter throughout most of his career, he could potentially even serve as a swingman for Philadelphia if they ever needed help in the rotation. As a result, he should provide some much-needed insurance pitching depth for the Phillies going forward. Together with his World Series championship experience from 2019 with the Washington Nationals, he will help instil some of that winning mentality to the Phillies club who are desperately in search of their third title.