Pittsburgh Pirates: Five Potential Trade Partners for Tyler Anderson

This past offseason the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Tyler Anderson to a one-year deal, likely with the hope of being able to flip him at the trade deadline So far, he’s built up some value. Where could he go in a trade?

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed left-handed starter Tyler Anderson to a low-cost one-year contract this past offseason. The hope was that Anderson would be able to build up some value and be a trade piece in July. So far, it looks like the contract has gone according to plan.

Four starts into his tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates the veteran lefty been a very solid starting pitcher. Through 20.2 innings, Anderson has pitched to the tune of a 3.92 ERA, 3.82 FIP, and 1.35 WHIP. Anderson also has a healthy 24.1% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. Anderson’s only struggles has been with the long ball with a 1.31 HR/9 rate.

Anderson has also been good at getting weak contact and batters to swing-and-miss at his stuff. His 86.6 MPH exit velocity ranks in the top 75th percentile and the 38.3% hard-hit rate ranks in the top 52nd percentile. His chase rate of 31.3% is in the top 81st percentile and the pitcher’s 28.8% whiff rate is in the top 62nd percentile of all hurlers.

His cutter has also been a strong pitch with a -2.4 run value/100 offerings. The only pitch he’s thrown more than 10 times this season with a below-average run value is his four-seam fastball, but it’s very close to average with a 0.8 run value/100 pitches.

The ERA estimators have also been kind to Anderson. He currently holds a 3.84 SIERA and 3.77 xFIP. He was also about a league-average pitcher with the Colorado Rockies having a 98 ERA-, 102 FIP- and 103 ERA+.

A low-cost lefty who induces weak contact and gets swings and misses will get a decent amount of attention on the trade market. So who are some potential trade landing spots for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their left-handed starter?

Oakland Athletics

For a team off to a 14-8 start and with a 1 game lead on a highly competitive American League West, the Oakland A’s starting rotation has not been a very inspiring group of pitchers. Among their starting five only Sean Manaea and Cole Irvin have an ERA south of 4.00. In 23.2 innings, Manaea has a 3.03 ERA, 3.52 FIP and 1.18 WHIP. Irvin on the other hand has a solid 3.86 ERA, 3.57 IFP and 1.28 WHIP in 21 innings.

However, Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and Jesus Luzardo all have ERA’s north of 4.00. Luzardo and Montas have ERA’s above 5.00 and the ladder even has an ERA above 6.00. It also doesn’t help that long-awaited prospect, A.J. Puk is extremely injury-prone and is on the injured list once again. All told, A’s starters have combined for a 4.58 ERA, 3.96 FIP and 1.38 WHIP.

They have the 10th worst ERA and 7th worst WHIP. The A’s 22.2% strikeout rate is tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 10th worst mark in baseball, and their 1.23 HR/9 rate ranks 15th in baseball. They do have a workable 4.58 xFIP and 4.13 SIERA but lack another stable option behind Manaea.

While the A’s bullpen has helped them out, getting a durable rotation arm who can give them 5 innings every 5 days is something a team in the hunt for a division title in a very competitive division needs.

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels entered the season with a handful of questions with their pitching staff, thus far, it’s far been their strength. It’s a real shame too because Mike Trout is only able to do so much. They do have the offense with Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh, Anthony Rendon, David Fletcher and Justin Upton all in the lineup. But they do need more pitching.

Ohtani has been solid this year. The two-way star is being limited in his innings per start as he only has 8.2 innings between two starts, but has only allowed a single earned run, has struck out 15 batters, and has only surrendered three hits. His control hasn’t been great though with 11 free passes.

However, Alex Cobb, Andrew Heaney, Jose Quintana and Griffin Canning all have an ERA above 4.00. Quintana has a 9 ERA through 10 innings. Both Canning and Cobb have ERAs above 6.00. All told, the Angels are among the top 3 worst teams when it comes to ERA (5.48), WHIP (1.42), and walk rate (11.5%). However, they have been an unlucky group as well. They have a 3.59 FIP, 3.29 SIERA and 3.64 xFIP. They have kept home runs to a per-9 rate of just 1.1, have a strikeout rate above 30% (31%) and the lowest left on-base percentage in baseball.

Still, they could use another pitcher in general. Getting Anderson means pushing one of their starters to the bullpen, another area the team has heavily struggled with. Pitching has been an issue for the Angles for a while now. Luck has played into their struggles so far this year, but a more stable lefty arm could give the team the boost of pitching it needs.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies opened the season with a very solid 1-3 opening their rotation. So far, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin have been productive arms. However, it was always going to be a question as to how the back end of the rotation would perform.

Currently, Chase Anderson holds one of the last rotation spots, and former top 3 prospect Matt Moore also held one before being placed on the 10-day injured list. Both have struggled. While Anderson’s 4.15 ERA may not seem all that bad, he’s given up 3 home runs in less than 15 innings (13), while having a meager 18.9% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate.

Moore, who was signed after a stint in Japan, gave up 12 runs on 17 hits in just 11 innings before being placed on the 10-day. The Phils do have former top prospect Spencer Howard on hand to fill in a rotation spot, but this is a team tied for first place in the National League East.

Solidifying at least the #5 spot should be on the Phillies’ radar. It definitely is a weak spot in a very solid roster. Anderson could help sure up an unsure spot and help the Phils take the East.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays need to solidify the back end of their rotation if they want to compete in the American League East. So far, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Steven Matz have looked outstanding. But aside from them, the rest of their rotation is rather thin.

Robbie Ray has a strong 1.47 ERA but has walked more batters than he’s struck out in 10 innings. Ross Stripling, who was originally in the rotation, surrendered 7 earned runs in two starts and 8.1 innings before being placed on the injured list. Stripling isn’t the team’s only starting capable player on the injured list either.

T.C. Zeuch is also on the 10-day injured list and top pitching prospect Nate Pearson is another arm who hasn’t been healthy yet this year. Thomas Hatch was another potential starter but is currently on the 60-day IL. Sure, they could move Tanner Roark back into the rotation, but that wouldn’t be ideal as he has surrendered 41 earned runs in 54.2 innings so far in his Blue Jays tenure.

This leaves Trent Thorton, Tommy Milone, Anthony Kay, and the aforementioned Roark to fill in the spots that the injured arms have left behind. Like the Angels, the Jays have a strong lineup that houses the likes of Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Randal Grichuk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and eventually George Springer when he returns from his own IL stint.

If Anderson continues his hot streak the Jays will almost assuredly calling the Pittsburgh Pirates. After all, Ben Cherington is more than familiar with the Jays as he was their vice president of baseball operations before becoming the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.