The Rays have the best record in baseball, and a big part of that is because of their pitching staff, which I would call the best in the league from top to bottom. They have an embarrassment of riches, and their recent decision to designate Chase Anderson for assignment shows just how many arms they have at their disposal.
Rays DFA’ing Chase Anderson after 5 scoreless innings. Apparently making room for Jake Diekman.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 10, 2023
Anderson isn’t anything special. From 2020-2022, he boasted an unsightly 6.81 ERA over 33 appearances (23 starts), but the Braves don’t necessarily need to add another frontline guy to their rotation. They are searching for a veteran that can eat innings until Kyle Wright, Max Fried, or both return.
The idea of using Dylan Dodd or Jared Shuster in that role would not be the end of the world, but it doesn’t feel like the best course of action either. Shuster really struggled in his first two starts of the season, and Dodd has been hit or miss, which can be seen by the seven runs he surrendered last night in Gwinnett. Neither of them is ready, so I expect the Braves to be eyeing any veteran arms that hit the market.
Anderson may have had a rough go of it over the last three innings, but he was lights out in his two appearances in relief for the Rays, allowing no runs and just three baserunners over five innings. He was also a very reliable starter for the Brewers prior to the 2020 campaign. From 2016-2019, Anderson went 38-27 with a respectable 3.83 ERA over 118 appearances (112 starts).
Now 35 years old, it would be foolish to expect those kinds of results for the rest of this season, but he showed enough with the Rays to warrant another chance. Given the Braves are desperate for arms, I see no harm in them taking a flier on him. At the very least, they will likely be inquiring.
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Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire
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