I waited to start writing this until Tyler Anderson gave up his first hit Monday night. It would seem too much like a kneejerk reaction to have a headline like this after a no-hitter.
But the buzz around Anderson after his night was done was that he is going to be a good trade chip come the July deadline. If he keeps pitching like he has and the Pirates choose to move him, they could get a good prospect back.
What if they hung on to him, though?
Yes, bringing back a prospect would be a plus, and the two ideas aren’t mutually exclusive. The Pirates could trade him in July and then sign him again this winter, but there’s no guarantee he would come back.
Looking at the Pirates’ current rotation, the only two you can pencil in for 2022 are Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker. Wil Crowe and Miguel Yajure should be in the mix, Roansy Contrearas and Max Kranick are on pace to be in the majors midseason next year, and Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl both still have team control. The Pirates have options, but with Cody Bolton transitioning into a bullpen role (at least for now) in Altoona, there aren’t a lot of new pitching prospects who should be ready for the show in 2022. To build off that, the next wave of pitching, led by Quinn Priester, probably aren’t going to be knocking on the door until midseason 2023.
The Pirates still need pitching depth for a couple more years, and it would be beneficial to have a veteran around for when those pitching prospects reach the majors. Anderson checks both boxes. Maybe it’s worth keeping him around for another year or two.
YOUR TURN: Should the Pirates explore trying to keep Anderson beyond this year, or should they just plan to trade him in July?
