LA Angels dodge bullet as Los Angeles Dodgers sign Halos' FA target Tyler Anderson

When the lockout ended, the LA Angels were rumored to be in on free agent starting pitcher Tyler Anderson. This would have been a terrible idea. Anderson hasn't been any good since his rookie campaign (where he pitched only 19 starts). Luckily, however, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed him.

The Halos don't need to be signing the lowly Anderson. Anderson is a career 4.62 ERA pitcher with a 100 ERA+. One could argue that he's the definition of mediocrity. While the Halos have multiple needs in the back end of their starting rotation, they need to fill those needs with quality players through the trade market.

Going after disappointing free agents is not a winning strategy. Anderson is also on the decline. In his first 18 starts of the season last year, he was with Pittsburgh and recorded a 4.35 ERA, 1.200 WHIP and 4.27 FIP. After he headed to Seattle for his final 13 starts, he posted a 4.81 ERA, 1.319 WHIP and 4.52 FIP.

It was a great move by the LA Angels to let Tyler Anderson sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tyler Anderson hasn't had an ERA+ over 98 since 2018, showing that he's not the type of pitcher the LA Angels are looking for. He's had an ERA lower than 4.37 once in his career, and again, it was in a rookie campaign that only featured 19 starts. He got even worse once he headed to the AL, so the fit wasn't exciting either.

If the Halos want to make last minute adjustments to their rotation, they need to be doing it through the trade market. One of their top trade targets is still out there in Frankie Montas, and the A's are also still reportedly trying to move Sean Manaea. Manaea actually might be more likely to move than Montas.

The Halos have made some positive steps since the lockout ended in solidifying a very nice bullpen for 2022. They do not need to break that momentum by signing poor starting pitchers who have already proven themselves to not be viable in this league.