Tyson Ross has become the top priority for the Toronto Blue Jays as the July 31 approaches quickly, according to ESPN.com.
If the Blue Jays can land the San Diego Padres pitcher, they’ll likely be out of the sweepstakes for Cole Hammels or David Price. Either way, Ross would be an upgrade to the Toronto pitching staff that is near the bottom of the American League in ERA.
Tyson Ross #Padres has become #BlueJays top trade target bc of stuff and years of control but #Padres hesitant to move him #TradeDeadline
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowden_ESPN) July 29, 2015
Ross, 28, is under contract until 2018. The right-hander is up for arbitration over the next few years. He is 6-8 with a 3.45 ERA and 135 strikeouts this season. The San Diego starter is well on his way to a 200-K plus season this year. Ross boasts a 3.05 ERA and 9.2 K/9 in 318 1/3 innings since the beginning of the 2014 season, according to baseballreference.com.
James Shields, Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy are among the other starters that the Padres could let go over the next 48 hours. It’s been a disappointing season for a Padres team that was expected to be in the race for the NL West crown. Instead, San Diego is 8 1/2 games out of first place behind the Dodgers, Giants and Diamondbacks.
The Blue Jays are a game below .500 and eight games back for first place in the AL East. The race for the Wild Card is tight, and Toronto is only 2 1/2 games back from the second Wild Card spot. They Jays score more runs than any other team in MLB but they need help in the pitching staff.
If the Jays can’t land Ross, Hamels or Price, Jeff Samardzija and Mike Leake are two other names Toronto could snag before the trade deadline ends.
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