The Atlanta Braves' decision to finally cut bait with righty Ian Anderson, shipping him to the Los Angeles Angels just a week before Opening Day, was a sad day for the franchise. Not too long ago, Anderson looked set to anchor Atlanta's rotation for years to come, earning NL Rookie of the Year votes in two consecutive seasons while coming up big in the postseason. But injuries derailed things from there, and when Anderson struggled mightily in spring training, the Braves had to face the reality that he was no longer a reliable Major League starter.
But hey: While saying goodbye to Anderson was hard, at least it offered a chance to add a useful piece to the team's beleaguered bullpen, right? Atlanta was looking for all the relief help it could get after Alex Anthopoulos bafflingly declined to address the position over the offseason, and José Suarez gave Brian Snitker another potential left-handed option to work with. When life gives you lemons, etc etc.
Except, well, it turns out that the Braves turned that lemon into ... another lemon.
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Braves admit defeat in Ian Anderson trade with José Suarez DFA
Atlanta officially waived the white flag on Monday afternoon, designating Suarez for assignment and ending his very brief time with the team. Suarez's 2.45 ERA so far this season might paint this as a puzzling move, but don't get it twisted: The lefty had hardly inspired confidence, walking more batters than he struck out and relying on a .118 batting average on balls in play that was destined to regress sooner or later.
So the Braves' bullpen churn continues. The team replaced Suarez on its 40-man roster with righty Scott Blewett, who's already on his third team of 2025 after competent stints with both the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles. Maybe Blewett (1.00 ERA, 11 strikeouts in nine innings) can finally bring some much-needed stability in front of Raisel Iglesias and help Atlanta hold on to some leads in the late innings as it looks to climb back into the NL East race.
One thing's clear for now, though: The Anderson trade is a dud, and not just for the Braves. Anderson has been a disaster for L.A. in the early going, pitching to a 9.72 ERA in six relief appearances with six walks in just 8.1 innings of work. (That ratio will be all too familiar to Braves fans, unfortunately.) The Angels aren't in a position to cut bait just yet given their lack of other options, but Atlanta can rest easy knowing that at least this deal will go down as a lose-lose.