LA Angels: 3 teams that could trade for Tyler Anderson despite bad contract

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It's safe to say the Tyler Anderson signing did not work out as planned for the Los Angeles Angels. Nobody expected him to replicate the year he had for the Dodgers in 2022, but he wound up being one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball this past season.

Anderson posted a 5.43 ERA in 27 appearances (25 starts) this season for the Angels. That ERA was the fifth highest in the majors among pitchers with at least 140 innings pitched. Anderson's durability was nice with how banged up this Angels team was all year, but his struggles on the mound were maddening.

Anderson will enter the 2024 season as a 34-year-old with two more years on his deal paying him $13 million annually. It's not the worst contract ever, but the Angels have little reason to believe a pitcher aging will suddenly revert back to form. They're better off attempting to trade Anderson and simply sign a different pitcher. Potential Anderson suitors won't be desperate to acquire him, but with such a big need for pitching around the game there are a couple of teams that could be interested in betting on a bounceback from the southpaw.

1) Los Angeles Dodgers

This one is probably the most obvious one. The Los Angeles Dodgers were the team that got the most out of Tyler Anderson back in 2022 and it wouldn't be shocking at all to see them do it again.

The Dodgers were once again bounced early in the postseason after being swept in the NLDS. A big reason for their demise was their lack of pitching. Injuries really tormented them, and the Dodgers were left clinging onto very little in terms of starting pitching. The picture is even bleaker as we look ahead.

Clayton Kershaw is a free agent. He could easily return, but could also just as easily retire. Julio Urias is another free agent who has all sorts of trouble off the field. It's very likely he's thrown his last pitch in Dodger blue if not MLB entirely. Lance Lynn has an expensive club option the Dodgers will likely decline. Both Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are out with injuries.

The Dodgers should get Walker Buehler back which is obviously huge, but who knows how that'll go with the right-hander coming off Tommy John? Bobby Miller had an impressive rookie year and should be towards the top of the rotation. Outside of those two, it's hard to even pick out who will be starting. Ryan Pepiot? Emmet Sheehan? Ryan Yarbrough? Point is, the Dodgers will presumably need to add multiple starters to be a championship contender.

The Dodgers pursuit of Shohei Ohtani is no secret. If they sign Shohei away, they'll still need a pitcher with Ohtani not pitching in 2024. The only question here is if the Angels would be willing to do something they rarely ever do. Trade with the Dodgers. Considering the fact that it's just Tyler Anderson, I sincerely hope Arte Moreno has no issue with this.

2) St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals had themselves a miserable 2023 season. They entered the season with championship aspirations and wound up finishing in last place in the NL Central, winning just 71 games. Even the Angels had a better record than them.

The biggest reason for the Cardinals' downfall was their pitching. Virtually every starting pitcher they turned to had a miserable year, and the rotation looks even shallower now with Adam Wainwright retired, Miles Mikolas one year older, and Jordan Montgomery no longer on the team.

The Cardinals will need to add at least two and probably three starters to put themselves back in the NL Central hunt. While the Cardinals will likely sign one or two of those starters in free agency, it's almost certain they'll be active in the trade market. The Angels could easily be a team they'll turn to.

St. Louis will probably start conversations by asking about guys like Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, and Griffin Canning, but Anderson as a potential fourth or fifth starter for a more team like the Cardinals probably won't be too bad. They need anything they can get, and it's not out of the question for them to bet on a bounceback.

The Angels can give the Cardinals Anderson for very little in return. There's even a chance they eat a small portion of the contract if need be.

3) New York Mets

Another team that was a huge disappointment in 2023 was the New York Mets. The Mets entered the year with World Series aspirations after a 101-win season in 2022 and a record-setting payroll, but like the Cardinals, they fell flat on their faces and just barely finished with a record better than the pathetic one the Angels finished with.

The Mets, like the Cardinals, will look to compete in 2024 but lack a rotation with much depth. Kodai Senga is great at the top, and Jose Quintana as a mid-rotation guy is solid. Other than that, there really isn't much to be excited about.

The Mets have guys like David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Jose Butto, and Joey Lucchesi as potential starters but none of them have proven much of anything at the big league level. Anderson was an all-star just two years ago.

The Mets will look to add in free agency, but the chances of them adding three starters there aren't very high. This means they'll turn to the trade market. With Steve Cohen time and time again saying they're looking to build something sustainable without trading top prospects, this means their sights won't be on elite starters. They can acquire Tyler Anderson for next to nothing to try and round out their rotation.

The Mets are a team known to not shy away from high payrolls, so money shouldn't be the biggest issue with an Anderson trade. If the Mets need another arm after looking in free agency, I wouldn't rule them out of a potential Anderson deal.

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3 teams that could trade for Tyler Anderson this offseason despite bad contract

1) Los Angeles Dodgers

2) St. Louis Cardinals

3) New York Mets

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