Cody Ross heard from the Oakland Athletics almost immediately after he was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks last weekend.

A number of other clubs reached out to Ross, but none seemed to be as good a fit as the Athletics.

"To be honest with you, I couldn't be any more excited," Ross said. "I know how much fun this team has had in the past and how successful they've been. That had a lot to do with the decision I made.

"From the outside looking in, it's just a team that has a lot of passion, plays the game the right way, plays hard. Does all the little things right. That's the type of team I want to play on. Just a bunch of grinders that go out and play hard and want to win on a nightly basis."