Padres Acquire Tyson Ross From Oakland

The Padres made their first significant personnel move the offseason today, acquiring pitcher Tyson Ross from the Oakland A’s, in exchange for infielder Andy Parrino and pitcher Andrew Werner. The Padres also acquired minor league first baseman A.J. Kirby-Jones.

Ross, 25, is the older brother of 2011 Padres first-round pick Joe Ross. In 2012, Tyson Ross had a 2-11 record, with a 6.50 ERA in 18 games (13 starts). He had much more success with AAA Sacramento, where he had a 6-2 record, with a 2.99 ERA in the very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Ross has the versatility to relieve or start and gives the Padres flexibility.

September 24, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Tyson Ross (66) waits on the mound for a meeting with pitching coach Curt Young (41) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Rangers won 5-4 beating the Oakland Athletics. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

Parrino, 27, saw time at 5 positions for the Padres in 2012 and hit just .207 with a homer and 6 RBI’s. He should be in the mix for a utility job in Oakland. Parrino was the Padres 26th round pick in the 2007 draft.

Werner, 25, started eight games down the stretch for the Padres, posting a 2-3 record with a 5.58 ERA for the Padres. Werner went undrafted and was  signed by the Padres out of independent baseball.

Jones, 24, was the A’s 9th-round pick in 2010 draft. He hit .246, with 21 HR’s and 69 RBI’s with Single-A Stockton.

Personally, I love this move for San Diego. Werner and Parrino could have both been removed from the 40-man roster, in order to protect prospects, so turning those two players into Ross is a huge coup. Ross features a fastball in the low 90’s, that can hit 95 MPH. While his statistical statline was rather ugly for the A’s last year, he is still just 25.

Ross also can relieve, so the Padres will have some options with Ross. The Padres now have two open spots on the 40-man roster.