Late Saturday night the Arizona Diamondbacks released outfielder Cody Ross. Your initial reaction of a shrug is spot on. Yet, according to MLB Trade Rumors, the team that acquires him will not be responsible for paying him any amount above the major league minimum. Ross is due $8.5M this season, and will need a $1M buyout for next season, none of which would be the concern of the Oakland Athletics if they were to acquire him. Since you’re wondering, the major league minimum is $507,500.
Big deal, it’s Cody friggin Ross, right? Right. I mean, maybe? Let’s just talk this one out real quick. Currently the Oakland Athletics have Billy Burns, Craig Gentry and Sam Fuld listed as their outfielders, with Mark Canha and Ben Zobrist available to fill in on the corners as well. While Burns has had a fantastic spring, he has one hit in the majors. Nothing is guaranteed with him. Sam Fuld is a cult hero, but I’m still not sold on him. He provides a spark at times, but those instances seem few and far between. With Oakland last season, he hit just .210, and he’s only a career .236 hitter.
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So here we have two potential openings in the outfield, but with Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick set to re-join the team shortly, that will all work itself out, right? Crisp’s injury is a bit concerning, mainly because he’s always hurt. He’s been good for, on average, 128 games per season over the past four years. The A’s will be without Crisp at times throughout this season, so why not upgrade the insurance policy?
Cody Ross is an upgrade over Fuld, and likely Burns, although he brings none of the speed that either of those players possess. Ross, now 34, has been relegated to a reserve role in recent years. Over the past three seasons, he’s owned left-handed pitching, batting a cumulative .319 with an on-base percentage of .383. Those numbers are skewed because of his huge 2012 in Boston right? Nope! They’re skewed because he hit .391 against LHP with the Diamondbacks in 2013–in 110 at-bats. Seems like a platoon in Oakland could be a good fit for Mr. Ross.
While he hasn’t shown much pop in his bat in recent years, eight homers in 2013 and just two last season, that’s still more than Fuld.
While bringing in Cody Ross isn’t a surefire win by any stretch, it’s definitely a move the Oakland Athletics should consider. For just over half a million, he’s right in their wheelhouse.