Blue Jays get early jump on off-season trading for Chase Anderson
The Toronto Blue Jays made headlines Monday trading for starting pitcher Chase Anderson from the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Toronto Blue Jays are wasting no time getting ready for the 2020 season reportedly acquiring Chase Anderson from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor-leaguer Chad Spanberger.
Anderson started in 27 games last season with the Brewers going 8-4 with a 4.21 ERA in 139 innings and also had 124 strikeouts. The 31-year-old has a career 3.94 ERA in six seasons with Milwaukee and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The obvious positive in this deal is that the Blue Jays getting a pitcher that has consistently pitched anywhere from 139 to 158 innings in his career. Considering the number of injuries this rotation has been through getting some durability is crucial.
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On top of that, Anderson is not far removed from a 2017 season where he had a 12-4 record, a 2.74 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 25 starts. His average fastball sits at 93.4 MPH and he was worth 1.8 WAR last season.
The Blue Jays will likely pick up the 2020 option Anderson had on his contract worth $8.5 million next season and the team also has a $9.5 million club option for 2021 according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Considering the team doesn’t have a lot committed on their 2020 payroll, this still gives them the flexibility to make more moves going forward.
Toronto still has a lot of work to do to get the rotation in shape to be competitive for the season but this is still a no-brainer move when you consider what the team gave up in return.
Spanberger was acquired in the trade involving reliever Seunghwan Oh to the Colorado Rockies where the team also got Forrest Wall and Bryan Baker. The first baseman hit .237/.308/.399 in 122 games in double-A New Hampshire and also had 13 home runs and 59 RBI.
It’s safe to say that Wall has been the best part of that deal from the Rockies as the soon to be 24-year-old hit .270,.353/.419 with nine home runs and 41 RBI in double-A and saw some time with the Buffalo Bisons last season.
There is no reason why the Blue Jays shouldn’t consider moving some of their lower-tier prospects for a player like Anderson who will likely be a back end starter.
Next. Blue Jays 2019 season review: The good, the bad, and the ugly. dark
What did you think about the trade? Do you expect the Blue Jays to be very busy this off-season? Let us know in the comments below.