The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired veteran left-handed starter Tyler Anderson from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Prospects Cristian Hernandez and Abrahan Gutierrez are heading to Pittsburgh in the deal, per Heyman.
Anderson, 31, is on a one-year contract and owed the balance of a $2.5 million salary for 2021. On the season, he’s pitched to a 4.35 ERA with 86 strikeouts and 25 walks in 18 starts and 103 1/3 innings.
His ERA is skewed in the wrong direction by a disastrous nine-run outing against the Braves in late May, so he may project a bit better than you might think over the balance of the season. Anderson was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday, signaling a deal was close.
As for the stuff, Anderson’s fastball checks in just above 90 mph, but it has good vertical movement. He complements it with a cutter and curve, primarily. For his career, Anderson owns an ERA+ of 102 across parts of six MLB seasons with the Rockies, Giants, and Pirates.
The Phillies, who enter Tuesday’s slate with a 50-49 record and 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets in the NL East, have struggled to get reliable starting pitching behind Zack Wheeler. If the deal goes through, then Anderson figures to slot in behind Wheeler and Aaron Nola in the Philly rotation.