Pittsburgh Pirates: Looking at Tyler Anderson’s Trade Market

Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed starting pitcher Tyler Anderson has had a solid season so far, but what could his trade market look like?

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed left-handed starting pitcher Tyler Anderson to a low-risk one-year deal this past offseason. So far, he’s been a pretty solid pick-up. Since the trade deadline is coming up and Anderson’s contract makes him a rental, the Pittsburgh Pirates will almost certainly trade the southpaw by the deadline.

Anderson’s bottom line isn’t the best. He has a 4.39 ERA, identical 4.39 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP in 92.1 innings of work. Anderson hasn’t gotten many swings and misses with a 20.3% strikeout rate and a whiff rate in the bottom 28th percentile.

But he’s in the top 72nd percentile in chase rate and makes up for his lack of strikeouts with quality command. He’s only given out free passes at a 6.3% rate. So far, that’s the 25th lowest qualified mark in baseball, tied with standouts Sean Manea and Yu Darvish.

Anderson’s biggest issue has been the long ball. He has given up a home run at a 1.46-per-9 rate. Though he’s above average in terms of exit velocity (top 58th percentile, 88.4 MPH) and hard-hit rate (top 72nd percentile, 35.9%), Anderson has induced ground balls just 38.6% of the time.

Though his overall numbers are a bit inflated. He’s pitched at least 5 innings and has given up 3 or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 15 starts this season. In two of those three starts he failed to either go 5+ innings or give up 3 or less ER, he went 5 innings and gave up 9 runs in the first one, then in the second one he went 6 innings but gave up 6 ER. Take out those two starts and he has a 3.32 ERA and 3.84 FIP. It also hasn’t helped Anderson that the Pirates as a team haven’t been that great defensively. They do have +12 DRS, but are in the negatives in UZR/150 and range runs above average.

Overall, he’s been a solid 5th pitcher. He’s quite durable as he’s yet to fail to reach 5 innings in a start yet this year. Though most teams won’t view him as a must-have trade piece, some contenders looking to round out their pitching staff, or acquire a reliable 5th starter will definitely take a look at Anderson.

One team that could potentially be interested in Anderson is a division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have a strong rotation, headed by Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, and Adrian Houser. However, Brett Anderson nor Eric Lauer have been able to consistently get good results this year. They already released former Pirate Josh Lindbloom after he struggled as one of their back of the rotation arms. Given the quality numbers their 1-4 have put up, they could use a stable option at the #5 spot. Plus it would be far from the only trade the two teams have made.

The New York Mets may also be a team looking to stabilize their rotation. Jacob deGrom is having a historically good season, but Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman have been outstanding supporting arms. Though David Peterson has been both ineffective and hurt, and lefty Joey Lucchesi will miss the rest of the season because of Tommy John surgery. The Mets will likely get back flamethrowing right-hander Noah Syndergaard back in August, but he’s a question mark as well. While writing this, the Mets announced they are in the market for rental starting pitchers making Anderson a good fit and potentially an arm they’ll look into.

One under-the-radar team that could be interested in Anderson is the Seattle Mariners. Anderson may be a perfect fit for the West Coast team. While the M’s may not go all-in just yet, they may pursue short-term arms that aren’t the most expensive trade pieces out there. Plus they have a deep farm system, making them an ideal trade partner for the Pirates.

Anderson may be a solid deal sweetener to a larger trade. Many teams will be looking into Adam Frazier and Richard Rodriguez. For example, the Washington Nationals could be a trade partner for either Rich-Rod or Frazier, but Anderson could help sure up the back of their rotation. The Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics also fit this bill.

Though the thing that will hurt Anderson’s market is that he isn’t the only back of the rotation starter on a short-term deal. The Rangers will likely get some calls about veterans Jordan Lyles, Kyle Gibson, and Mike Foltynewicz. The Arizona Diamondbacks will be listening to offers on Merrill Kelly. The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals also have some veteran starters on expiring contracts they’ll look to trade.

Although Anderson may not be the hottest commodity, he should at least get some attention given his ability to keep his team in the game every 5th day. That’s all most teams ask of their 5th starting pitcher. This should lead to the Pittsburgh Pirates landing a solid return for Anderson.