Mariners Free Agency: Options for a one-year Starting Pitcher

Mariners Target #5: Tyler Anderson

The Mariners could always bring back Tyler Anderson. He came over at the trade deadline, a deal that was only possible because the original deal with the Phillies fell through. The Mariners would end up getting him, and personally, I was pretty excited about it. It’s not that Anderson is some kind of amazing and spectacular pitcher, but someone that was going to give you consistent outings (for the most part) and could be relied upon to eliminate the need for a bullpen start.

You take a look at Anderson’s 2021 numbers after getting to the Mariners, and they don’t look that great at first glance. The 4.81 ERA, and a touch under five innings per start stand out. I’m taking the liberty of throwing out one start though. He gave up nine in two innings on September 25th, when the Mariners lost 14-1. Outside of that, he threw just over five innings per start with a 3.65 ERA.

You know what? I’d take that again. Maybe he gets blown up once in a while. He’s gonna give you five innings, he doesn’t walk many hitters, and you can expect to be there in that #5 spot every trip through. It’s what you should want from your fifth spot at a minimum, and Anderson is going to provide it. As a cost-efficient option, he would be a good selection if the team was still going to be spending money elsewhere to improve.