LAS VEGAS – When discussing relievers, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos often reflects on a few years ago, when he traded young talent at the deadline in hopes of strengthening his bullpen.
He always says he never wants to do that again. Since then, he has been aggressive in building his bullpen through free agency.
On Friday, the Braves agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with right-handed reliever Nick Anderson, multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Braves gave Anderson a split contract, meaning he’ll make $875,000 if he’s in the majors and $180,000 if he’s in the minors.
To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Braves designated infielder Rylan Bannon for assignment.
The 32-year-old Anderson, who underwent elbow surgery in 2021, has not pitched in the big leagues since Sept. 26 of that year. He spent all of 2022 in the minors following his recovery. He comes to Atlanta from Tampa Bay, who placed Anderson on outright waivers before he cleared waivers and elected free agency.
Asked on Wednesday, at the General Managers meetings, about what he values in a reliever, Anthopoulos said: “Good ERA, swing and miss, health. Everyone knows who the good ones are.”
Anderson seems to fit that profile. If he pitches like he did before the injury, he should be able to make the Braves’ bullpen, which has a few free agents (Kenley Jansen, Luke Jackson, Jesse Chavez, Darren O’Day).
Over parts of three major-league seasons, he flashed the upside that intrigued the Braves. He’s posted a 2.89 ERA over 87-1/3 big-league innings. What immediately grabs the eye, though: his strikeout numbers.
Over his major-league career, Anderson has a 39.6% strikeout rate, which is well above the average in the sport. In 2019, when he debuted, Anderson struck out 110 batters over 65 innings.
Anderson also has postseason experience, an attractive quality for a club that has won the National League East five years in a row. In 14 playoff games, has allowed 10 earned runs over 20-1/3 innings. It should be noted, however, that he pitched at least one inning in all but two outings. He’s pitched more than an inning 10 times in the postseason.
Before undergoing a UCL brace procedure in 2021, Anderson’s four-seam fastball averaged around 95 mph in three big-league campaigns to that point. He experienced a slight dip in velocity in 2021, which might have been because of the elbow injury he had repaired after the season.
Not only has Anderson proved himself at the major-league level, but he also has minor-league options. It’s like the best of both worlds for the Braves, who won’t lose him if they need to option them. It gives them flexibility as they maneuver through the twists and turns of a long season.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Braves’ bullpen has been a strength. Anthopoulos has dedicated resources to building it out.
Jansen, last season’s closer, is a free agent. But at the beginning of the Braves’ offseason, Anthopoulos said he would love to have Jansen and proven closer Raisel Iglesias, acquired at the trade deadline, in the 2023 bullpen. The Braves also will have A.J. Minter and Collin McHugh, who both pitched well in 2022, in next year’s bullpen.
Now the Braves have Anderson, who has shown what he can do at the highest level.
“You want as much (bullpen) depth as you can,” Anthopoulos said Wednesday. “I know what we have on the roster. But we got to believe in the reliever, right? So, if Kenley Jansen wasn’t available (last spring), I can’t tell you we’re signing somebody else at that time.
“I think deep bullpens are important, especially over the course of six months, if you’re planning to be a contending team.”
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