12:45 a.m. update: Pittsburgh has pivoted and is now trading Anderson to the Mariners.
6:13 p.m. update: Tuesday’s trade between the Phillies and Pirates headlined by Tyler Anderson has hit a snag. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that a medical issue with one of the two prospects heading from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh is causing the hold-up. Anderson was scratched from his start on Tuesday evening but was later seen throwing a bullpen in Pittsburgh.
This trade deadline has a pretty weak crop of left-handed starting pitchers on the market. On Tuesday afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired one of the more reliable options.
The Phillies, a team looking to make a playoff push, have traded for Tyler Anderson of the Pirates. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman was among the first with the news.
Tyler Anderson goes to Phillies for Cristian Hernandez and Adrian Gutierrez pending physicals
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 27, 2021
Anderson signed a one-year deal worth $2.5 million with the Pirates before the season. The expectation was that if Anderson pitched well, he would not be a Pirate for the duration of the year. The best way to describe him is that he is a classic pitcher. A soft-tosser with a four-pitch mix (plus a rarely-used curveball), Andersen excels at limiting walks; his walk rate for the season sits at just 5.8%.
The return for Anderson features prospects Cristian Hernandez and Abrahan Gutierrez. MLB Pipeline ranked Hernandez, a right-hander, 29th on Philadelphia’s top-30 prospects list. Gutierrez, a catcher, did not appear on the list.
Going forward, the Pirates will continue to attempt to sell off anyone with value. Anderson follows second-baseman Adam Frazier and reliever Clay Holmes out the door.
Next, the Phillies will likely search for a reliever. They once again have one of the league’s worst bullpens. This could be solved by striking another deal with the Pirates, perhaps for closer Richard Rodriguez.
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