Not a piece the Mariners likely cared about losing…
The Seattle Mariners are in the process of reworking their bullpen, but it never appeared Nick Anderson was in contention for a spot.
Anderson, once a high-leverage reliever for some good Tampa Bay Rays teams, signed with the Mariners just in time for the September stretch run on a minor-league contract. He would have been eligible to pitch in the playoffs, but he never wound up making a major league appearance.
After electing free agency on Nov. 6, it always made sense that Anderson would leave the Mariners. But if he makes a major league impact this season, there’s now a chance he could come back to haunt his last ballclub.
Nick Anderson signs with A’s
Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reported on Nov. 12 that Anderson signed with the Athletics. The deal has not yet been confirmed by Anderson’s official transactions log. The deal will pay the 35-year-old $1 million if he makes the major league roster.
“A’s general manager David Forst said ‘it would be nice’ to add a reliever with closing experience,” Gallegos wrote at the time of the deal. “The A’s will undoubtedly look to add beyond Anderson, but he does fit that description with 10 career saves and a 3.43 ERA in 177 games across six big league seasons and a fastball that can still consistently reach the mid-90s.”
Anderson may have reestablished his value a bit during his stint with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, because he was pretty brutal during his major league outings for the lowly Colorado Rockies this year. In Tacoma, he pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed two earned runs (3.18 ERA) and struck out 10 batters.
The A’s truly had no reliable bullpen arms this season, save for perhaps lefty Sean Newcomb, who is now a free agent. Now, they’ll try to tap into Anderson, whose peak came during the shortened COVID season in 2020, when his regular-season ERA was 0.55 in 16 outings.
Did the Mariners help a division rival find a new relief arm? It’s not that likely, considering Anderson’s wayward track record, but it remains a possibility.
