Detroit Tigers: Tyson Ross joins the team on a one year deal

Continuing their blueprint of signing veterans to a one-year deal in hopes of flipping them, the Tigers signed Tyson Ross yesterday.

The Detroit Tigers are making a habit of signing veterans to cheap one-year deals. Last season the team signed both Mike Fiers and Leonys Martin to such deals. Both were traded away last season for prospects.

They continued that trend when they signed Tyson Ross. According to Jeff Passan, Ross is coming on a deal full of incentives. If he reaches all of his incentives, he’ll receive $6 million while wearing the Olde English D.

The veteran pitcher is just thirty-one but is a couple of years removed a surgery that limited him to just 13 games between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Ross split last season between the Padres and the Cardinals. He went a combined 8-9 with a 4.15 ERA pitching in 149.2 innings.

The addition of the right-hander makes the Tigers starting rotation a little bit more crowded.  Anthony Fenech, of the Detroit Free Press, notes that the Tigers want a crowded starting rotation. However, the Tigers starting rotation has its share of injuries, so it might not be too crowded as the season progresses.

Jordan Zimmerman and Micheal Fulmer are both coming off of surgeries, they aren’t guaranteed to be in the starting rotation if they struggle early. Another interesting storyline will be that of Daniel Norris.

He’s struggled throughout his tenure with the Tigers and whether he should be thrown into the bullpen has been frequently asked over the last year.  The Tigers also added Matt Moore last month. While Moore isn’t dealing any injuries the Tigers hope they can swing him in a Mike Fiers type trade this season.

The biggest focus for the Tigers should now be the middle infield. There’s no long-term answer to shortstop and the team is looking to add a rental veteran on a one-year deal in hopes of flipping him while developing their prospects.