The Braves and Angels announced this afternoon that Atlanta has claimed right-hander Ian Anderson off waivers from Los Angeles after he was designated for assignment by the latter club earlier in the week. This morning’s DFA of Jesse Chavez cleared a 40-man roster spot, so no corresponding move was necessary to complete the transaction.
Anderson, 27 next week, returns to Atlanta after spending just a month away from the organization. Drafted by the Braves third overall in the 2016 draft, Anderson made his MLB debut during the shortened 2020 season and made a huge impression over his first two seasons. in 30 starts between those two years, Anderson tallied 160 2/3 innings of work, pitched to a 3.25 ERA with a 3.80 FIP, and struck out 24.5% of opponents. He was also a key factor in both the club’s trip to the NLCS in 2020 and their World Series championship run the following year, giving him a tidy 1.26 ERA and 27.6% strikeout rate for his career in the postseason.
While the righty entered his age-24 season as a front-end starter for Atlanta and a beloved postseason hero, Anderson’s 2022 campaign did not go as planned. He struggled badly through 22 starts, posting a lackluster 5.00 ERA despite a decent 4.25 FIP in 111 2/3 frames. The righty was sidelined in August of that year and then went under the knife for Tommy John surgery in early 2023 before making an appearance. He missed all of that year while rehabbing, and made 15 starts at the minor league level last year, though he didn’t come back up to the majors despite his solid 3.44 ERA in 68 innings of work.
With Anderson out of options entering 2025, Max Fried and Charlie Morton having departed the club via free agency, and Spencer Strider ticketed to begin the season on the injured list, many penciled Anderson in for a starting job with Atlanta entering this season. Unfortunately for the righty, he looked wild in camp with a 24% walk rate and was designated for assignment ahead of Opening Day. He was then swapped to the Angels in exchange for Jose Suarez and headed to Anaheim for his first big league appearance in two and a half years. His brief stay in California did not go well, as Anderson struggled to a 11.57 ERA across seven appearances before being DFA’d again. Now back in Atlanta, he appears ticketed for a bullpen role once he rejoins the club in Colorado tomorrow. Righty Davis Daniel replaced Jesse Chavez in the bullpen as the primary long relief option earlier this morning, though it seems as though his stay with the Braves may be short now that Anderson is back in the fold.
Of course…
The Braves really need to make up their mind about both Anderson and Chavez.
They have. Both are fringe AAAA players. We know their problems so it’s easier to stomach. Injuries and the remaining market have taken us back to comfortably uncomfortable sadly. Go Braves! Go Ian! Go Jessie! Pulling for all 3.
I’m starting to be convinced Alex Anthopoulos stalks the MLBTR site to get a kick out of these transactions to make.
I would enjoy a swift kick to the nuts of Terry McGuirk for not giving Alex the money to sign Jack Flaherty
Or keeping Canning.
Haha get in line…Flaherty or even Walker Buehler seemed like cheap good options AA typically goes for. Bad off-season is going to haunt us in the end.
Bad off season is leveling out. Braves are perfectly fine the way they are playing right now. Braves will be over 500 and ahead of Philly before the end of next week.
I’ll take that bet, Skyridah!
Oh for sure the offense is coming to life. If we make a playoff push the pitching depth or lack there of is going to catch up. That’s why I made a point to say in the end. But it’s looking like another bullpen game next week which is crazy only being April still.
Let’s Go!!!!!
The Braves are used to their rotation being thin come October. It’s been that way the last couple of years. Hopefully that’s addressed at the deadline unless someone at Gwinnett can take the reins and Lopez can come back strong. There should be no reason why AJSS cant start tomorrow.
If you felt the Braves should’ve signed Flaherty, Alex deserves as much -or more- of the blame as McGuirk does. The money was there, he just made the mistake of spending it on Profar.
The real world isn’t a video game, there are 29 other teams the player may consider
Is our starting pitching or pitching in general so bad we’re looking to bring Ian back right now? I like him and wish him the best, but lately, where’s the beef?
I guess you’re eating it all!
The Angels are becoming the Braves 4A club where they stash players that are too advanced for the Minors and haven’t been able to figure out the majors.
Ian cannot do any worse than most of the cast offs the Braves have been throwing out there. Maybe this is what he needed to motivate himself?
Thing is he will now literally *be* a cast off the Braves throw out there. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Double cast off actually
Ian Anderson has not been good since sticky stuff was banned. But hope he does great
Anderson hasn’t been good since the shoulder injury in 2022, sticky stuff or not.
He won a controversial Grammy Award for Crest of a Knave.
Metallica got robbed!
Which one’s Pink?
Well, if you tell me the name of the game, boy…
That was Reinsdorf handing out the cigars.
Sitting on a Bullpen Bench!
Holding a spot for Kimbrel.
Will be there soon within days!
…..with his 91-92 mph fastball and lack of command. Another fireman who probably will throw gasoline on the blaze.
This was so obviously going to happen as soon Ian was DFAd from the Angels.
Braves must know something about Anderson.
War stats looks useless when looking at Fried’s 0.8 war. 5-0, sub 2 era, 5 er in 31 innings pitched. Only a blue chip prospect can replicate that, not the average aaa or aa player. Not even a current Blake snell.
One of the worst pitching staffs in the bigs somehow gets worse.
Not the right Jose Suarez.
Good. Next in line to come back is Charlie Morton. Then Atlanta will have their starter from the past.
Folty, Soroka, Anderson, Wright. Good for a year or so and then off the cliff they go. AA must have forgotten this because he extended Strider. Dare I say, Sale and Lopez seem to be on the edge, too. Somebody bubble wrap Schwellenbach.
What do those first 4 pitchers have in common? Career derailing injuries—-just like dozens of other pitchers
Anderson is fixable. Teams are laying off anything at the bottom of the zone and cutting loose at pitches up. He throws his fastball up in the zone but use his breaking ball and change down in the zone. Pitches low are usually a ball and ignored and pitches up are fastballs. Moving the fastball down should help a lot. Teams have adjusted to him, now its time to see if he can make the adjustment and stick on a roster.
Best of luck, Jethro!
Hope he remembers his flute.