For the second year in a row, the Pirates have signed a free agent shortly after their spring training camp got underway.
On Tuesday, the club came to terms on a one year, $2.5 million contract with left-hander Tyler Anderson, pending a physical, a source tells DK Pittsburgh Sports.
The Pirates’ roster is full, so they will need to make a corresponding move. Rule 5 pick Jose Soriano is recovering from Tommy John surgery and could be placed on the 60-day injured list as soon as Wednesday, when the club has its first workout. Pitchers and catchers reported Monday.
Anderson, 31, went 4-3 with a 4.37 ERA over 13 appearances, 11 of them starts, with the Giants in 2020. It was a nice rebound after a left knee injury limited him to just five starts in 2019 with the Rockies.
He had a 4.30 ERA in his first three years with the Rockies from 2016-2018. While that is on the higher side, his ERA+, which takes the home ballpark into consideration, was 112, indicating he posted above average results.
Anderson has a five pitch mix: A four-seamer that averages 90 mph, a changeup that he throws to his arm side, a cutter that he tries to bury low and away to his glove side, a sinker and a rarely-used curveball. He got his best results with the changeup, holding batters to a .214 batting average and .306 slugging percentage.
He did not get a lot of strikeouts in 2020, averaging 6.2 punch outs per nine innings, but makes up for it by getting soft contact. Since his debut in 2016, his 86.4 mph average exit velocity is the sixth-lowest among starting pitchers who faced at least 500 batters.
This weekend general manager Ben Cherington told DK Pittsburgh Sports that he was still looking to add a starting pitcher to the roster, and didn’t rule out the possibility of adding multiple pitchers.
Anderson should slide into a rotation that includes Mitch Keller, Chad Kuhl and Steven Brault, with the fifth spot up for grabs. Miguel Yajure, Wil Crowe, JT Brubaker and Cody Ponce all appeared in the Majors last year and figure to be the main competitors for the final spot.