10 realistic trade options for the Cardinals at the deadline

LHP Tyler Anderson

I've been on the Tyler Anderson train for over a month now. The left-handed pitcher has been nothing but steady for the Los Angeles Angels despite things around him falling apart for the club. Anderson has made 18 starts this year and has thrown 112 innings already. He has an 8-8 record with a 2.81 ERA, 4.53 FIP, and a 1.18 WHIP. The discrepancy between his ERA and FIP can be explained by his reliance on his defenders this year.

On the surface, Anderson has been a great starting pitcher. He hasn't allowed many runs, he doesn't allow many hits, and he's thrown a full complement of innings. When looking beneath the superficial stats though, one can find where some issues may arise. Anderson has a paltry 16.8% strikeout rate, 5th-worst among qualified starters. The Cardinals have been searching for strikeout stuff all year, and Tyler Anderson wouldn't provide that.

The southpaw's fastball clocks in at one of the slowest speeds in baseball with an average velocity of just 89.1 MPH. Additionally, he's getting ground balls at a 37.2% clip which is in the 23rd percentile. This begs the question of where Anderson is getting his outs. The answer lies in his fly-ball rate: 30.5%. This is 7% higher than league average. Fly balls are dangerous because they could lead to home runs. Busch Stadium is notorious for dampening home run rates, but as the weather heats up, so do the bats.

The Cardinals will be on the hook for about $18 million over the next year and a half should they acquire Tyler Anderson, a price they are paying Miles Mikolas for just one season. The front office isn't overly keen on adding too much salary this deadline, but there is some wiggle room in the budget. The Angels will likely ask for prospects, particularly pitchers, in return.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a prospect like Gordon Graceffo be a sufficient return for the Angels given Anderson's cost and limited team control. Anderson isn't my first choice on the trade market, but he's still an enticing candidate.