MLB free agency grades: Angels get aggressive to upgrade pitching

The Los Angeles Angels added another starting pitcher to their rotation, stealing Tyler Anderson from the Dodgers.

The temperature officially rose in the MLB Hot Stove season on Tuesday, Nov. 15. One of the biggest moves of the day was first baseman Anthony Rizzo re-signing with the New York Yankees. But shortly before that, an All-Star starting pitcher officially went off the market.

Tyler Anderson, who spent the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, turned down a $19.65 million qualifying offer from the team for next year. It didn’t take long for Anderson to find a new home, and it’s not that far.

MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported that Anderson was signing with the Los Angeles Angels.

Tyler Anderson contract details

As for the contract that Anderson received, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that the contract was for three years, and worth a total of $39 million. The exact amount of salary he will receive each year is unknown as of this writing.

Angels: Tyler Anderson free agency grade

The Angels are in an interesting position currently. There are obviously the talks of owner Arte Moreno selling the team. But the most important thing surrounding the Angels is what the team will do with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2023 season. General manager Perry Minasian has already said that the team won’t trade Ohtani ahead of the 2023 campaign, so he’ll be on the roster.

With Ohtani under contract for $30 million next season, the Angels are obviously trying to make a postseason push while he’s still with the team. They bolstered their starting rotation by bringing in Anderson, who had a career season with the Dodgers.

Anderson spent stints with the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Seattle Mariners before joining the Dodgers. Through the first half of the season (17 games, 15 starts), Anderson recorded a 2.96 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, a 10-1 record, 81 strikeouts, and 17 walks through 97.1 innings pitched. With these numbers, Anderson was named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his seven-year pro career.

For the remaining 13 games he started in 2022, Anderson posted a 2.10 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, a 5-4 record, 57 strikeouts, and 17 walks over 81.1 innings.

In his career, Anderson never had posted an ERA lower than 3.54 (his rookie season with the Rockies). He managed to accomplish just that in his first year with the Dodgers. This season, he put up a 2.57 ERA, in addition to a 1.00 WHIP.

Anderson is a solid pitcher that the Angels are adding to the rotation. Of course there is the risk that he could revert back to his old ways and struggle with giving up the home run. But, the deal is relatively cheap as compared to what some other starting pitchers will receive from teams in free agency.

This is a move that shows that the Angels will try and compete, as it could be their last with Ohtani on the roster. Bringing in Anderson was a good move for the Angels, who look to finish the 2023 season with a better record than this past campaign, where they fell 13 games out of a postseason berth.

Free Agency Grade: B