LA Angels rumored to be interested in underwhelming starting pitcher on the decline

The LA Angels are now reportedly rumored to be interested in signing free agent starting pitcher Tyler Anderson. Anderson has not had an ERA below 4.37 since his rookie season in 2016. Anderson regressed from a .571 winning percentage, a 4.37 ERA, and 98 ERA+ in 2020 to a .389 winning percentage, 4.53 ERA, and 93 ERA+ in 2021.

Not only that, but Anderson regressed this past season when going to Seattle, after he was with Pittsburgh to begin the year. Anderson had a 4.35 ERA, a 4.27 FIP, a 97 ERA+, and a 1.200 WHIP with the Pirates. With the Mariners, he had a 4.81 ERA, a 4.52 FIP, an 87 ERA+, and a 1.319 WHIP.

There's no reason to do this. The only reason to do this is if Anaheim wants somebody who is durable, as opposed to the other free agent starters left who are good but have had recent injury concerns (Michael Pineda, Matthew Boyd, Danny Duffy, etc). This is why the Angels should focus on trading for pitching at this point, and not trying to get it through free agency.

Tyler Anderson is not the answer for the LA Angels.

While Tyler Anderson is better than Michael Lorenzen for the fifth spot in the LA Angels rotation, or Jaime Barria, Griffin Canning, or maybe Reid Detmers (right now) for that sixth spot in the rotation, he is still not a good pitcher. This is exactly why the Halos have no choice but to improve the rotation through the trade market at this point.

That being said, they just let their best trade target in Chris Bassitt get moved to the Mets for a bag of chips. The Angels have seemingly made it clear that they're not serious about improving the rotation this offseason. The Noah Syndergaard signing was nice, but that may be it for the Angels.