6 impact starting pitchers the Cardinals could trade for at an affordable price

Tyler Anderson, Angels

Tyler Anderson is a pretty funky starting pitcher when it comes to the numbers, but it's hard to argue against the success he has had for the Los Angeles Angels so far this year.

Anderson has posted a 2.58 ERA in 14 starts thus far and is doing so without boasting an elite strikeout or groundball rate. Anderson just knows how to induce weak contact, so whether they are fly balls, groundballs, or whiffs that he produces on an average basis, batters just can't seem to square the ball up on him.

To make things even weirder, Anderson's predominant pitches are his fastball, changeup, and cutter, which all range from 78 MPH to 89 MPH. He's a major throwback and a total zag in the era of high-velocity pitchers, but again, it's working out for him so far this year.

Anderson really struggled last year for the Dodgers, posting a 5.43 ERA in his 27 games, but he did find similar success in 2022 when he posted a 2.57 ERA for them in 178.2 innings. The lefty has a career 4.20 ERA, so he's pretty dependable but usually does not sustain this level of play.

Anderson is not one of my favorite targets by any means, as I just don't believe in the way that Anderson finds success on the mound.