There was a point, earlier in the offseason, when free agent outfielder Cody Ross said he was looking for a three-year contract. It was crazy, and everybody knew it was crazy, and Cody Ross probably knew it was crazy, but he still tried, because, why not?
Cody Ross, Red Sox Reach One-Year Agreement
According to reports, the Boston Red Sox are signing free agent outfielder Cody Ross. He’ll presumably help out in a platoon role.
Cody Ross remained unsigned. The calendar turned to 2012. The demands came down. And now Ross is joining the Boston Red Sox, according to Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal's report has been confirmed by Jon Heyman. There's no word yet on the terms, but I'm guessing this is going to be a one-year contract, and not a particularly expensive one.
Ross is 31. He has a career OPS+ of 105, which is pretty good. Over the last three seasons he’s posted an OPS+ of 101, which is less good, but still fine. He can and does play all three outfield positions, which makes him versatile, even though he’s not exactly Willie Mays. Ross is a handy role player to have.
And he'll be a role player with Boston. Jacoby Ellsbury is locked into a starting spot. Carl Crawford is locked into a starting spot. Ryan Sweeney and Ryan Kalish are around, but they're both left-handed, while Ross bats right-handed. So one can easily see Ross platooning, since he has a career .912 OPS against southpaws. Maybe he didn't have a platoon role in mind when the offseason began, but the market is the market.
The Red Sox just unloaded Marco Scutaro's salary over the weekend, presumably to free up space to bring in a starting pitcher. Signing Ross shouldn't interfere with that too much.
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UPDATE
Terms, via Jerry Crasnick:
Cody Ross’ deal with the #RedSox is for $3M base salary plus bonuses based on plate appearances.
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