Ian Anderson’s bid for a rotation spot in the Braves’ rotation ended on March 23, as Atlanta shipped him out to Los Angeles. Anderson will join the Angels, as the two teams exchanged pitchers who’ve posted underwhelming results of late. The Braves received left-hander Jose Suarez for Anderson.

The Angels’ Return

• SP Ian Anderson (3.44 ERA, 68 K over 68 IP in 2024 (ROK, A, A+, AAA))

The Braves drafted Ian Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft out of high school in upstate New York. It took Anderson time to develop but he showed significant promise in the shortened 2020 season. Anderson struck out 41 over 32 frames, then turned into a behemoth in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Playoffs.

Then, things went sideways for Anderson.

The now-former Braves pitcher posted a 5.00 ERA in 2022. He gave up more quality contact off his fastball and sustained a near-four-inch drop in vertical curveball movement. He failed to make it out of camp in 2023, underwent Tommy John later that year, and has yet to pitch in the Majors since 2022.

Anderson threw 20 innings with the Braves in camp, with his last outing coming on March 23, the same day as the trade. The right-hander posted a 2.25 ERA in that span but that number doesn’t tell the whole story. He walked 20, a theme that’s befallen Anderson throughout his career.

The 26-year-old posted BB% rates north of 10% in 2020 and 2022, continuing a trend that’s been a problem for Anderson since his days as a Minor Leaguer: effectively commanding his fastball.

While it is highly effective weapon because of his ability to get it up to the mid-90s — and have it play up with above-average extension and IVB (16.7” in 2022 — the reality is Anderson’s yet to reclaim the feel for his stuff. The induced movement was inconsistent this spring as well, at 15.7” with varying results. And yet again, the curveball on paper looked more like the 2022 version.

He’s primarily a three-pitch pitcher. However, Anderson experimented with a slider in spring and sporadically used a sweeping slider in 2021.

Anderson is out of options.

The Braves’ Return

• SP/RP Jose Suarez (6.02 ERA, 56 K over 52.1 IP in 2024)

Former Angels pitcher Jose Suarez looked like a promising arm in 2021-22, as he worked as a hybrid starter/reliever and posted incredibly strong chase numbers. Three years ago in 2022, Suarez posted a 33.0% Chase%, well above the league average.

After that season, Suarez’s numbers went awry. The 27-year-old posted an 8.29 ERA in 2023, then a 6.02 ERA last season. His numbers this spring were not great, as he conceded 12 hits over 11 innings. On the other hand, Suarez struck out 13.

The swing-and-miss is likely why the Braves like Suarez. He’s a funky left-hander with deception — he hides the ball well — a lot of pitches to work with, including a four-seamer, running two-seamer, changeup, cutter, slider, and sweeper.

And despite the poor numbers on paper, Suarez did get a fair amount of misses last season, with a 27.5% Whiff% that rated above the league average. His fastball gets swing-and-miss action, as does the sweeper.

However, command has been a problem. Suarez posted 11+% BB% rates in 2023-24 and conceded way too much hard contact.

Like Anderson, Suarez is out of options.

Analysis

Much like the Nolan Jones/Tyler Freeman trade from March 22, it’s a deal consisting of two players without options. Both players get a change of scenery, and yet again, the Angels & Braves connect for a trade.

There is upside for the Braves on this deal. Suarez gives the Braves a left-handed option who can give teams another look, one very different from Dylan Lee‘s higher arm slot and Aaron Bummer‘s very low slot. Suarez’s arm slot has varied over the years (40° in 2024, 35° in 2023), and the command, as noted before, has not been good.

But, the diverse arsenal of pitches and everything else does make this an intriguing add on the Braves’ end.

As for the Angels, it’s hard to expect Anderson to come close to the expectations he had in 2026. But at 26 years of age, Anderson still has upside and the good news is that he was touching 95 MPH this spring.

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