Nick Anderson has everything going on in 2020. He was dealt to the Rays from the Marlins at the 2019 deadline and pitched well for Tampa Bay the rest of the season, going 21 1/3 innings with a 2.11 ERA. The following year, during the COVID-shortened season, he pitched 16 1/3 innings with a remarkable 0.55 ERA, earning him a spot on the All-MLB First Team. Yes, it was a small sample size, but he had a 14.3% K/9 and an expected batting average of.140 against.
But then he came to the postseason, and everything fell apart. He had previously been there with the Rays in 2019 and performed admirably, but he struggled in the Wild Card, ALDS, and ALCS against the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Astros, allowing 11 hits and six runs in little under 12 innings pitched. Nonetheless, the Rays won, and he went to the World Series against the Dodgers, more exhausted and tired than when he started.
More troubles awaited him there. He pitched three innings in Games 2, 4, and a decisive six, allowing three runs. He was the pitcher that came in to relieve Blake Snell after Kevin Cash’s controversial decision to yank him, and he threw a wild pitch that allowed the Dodgers to tie the game.
Almost four years later, the Dodgers are welcome him back. On July 18, he was released by the Royals and signed a minor-league contract with Los Angeles following a brief free agency period.
Dodgers sign former dominant reliever Nick Anderson to a minor league deal.
Anderson was designated for assignment by the Rays during the 2022 season after suffering two big setbacks in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, he was placed on the injured list before the season began due to a partial rupture in his elbow and did not return until September, when he pitched only six innings before getting elbow surgery (not Tommy John) after the season. He was optioned to Triple-A after his recovery and DFA’d on November 9.
He signed a one-year contract with the Braves in 2023 and pitched 35 1/3 innings for a 3.06 ERA before returning to the 60-day injured list due to a shoulder problem. Atlanta traded him to the Kansas City Royals for cash at the end of the season. He pitched nearly 36 innings with the Royals this season, finishing with a 4.04 ERA, before being released. His numbers show a substantial regression from the acceptable ERA.
Given Anderson’s long injury history and his only shown ability in brief bursts, this is an intriguing addition to the Dodgers’ roster. Still, the Dodgers bullpen requires some reinforcements, and while Anderson is unlikely to be among the Triple-A pitchers to call on in a pinch, he has major league experience.
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