ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels acquired right-handed starter Ian Anderson from the Atlanta Braves on Sunday in a trade for left-hander Jose Suarez.
Anderson had a 2.65 ERA and a whopping 18 walks over 17 innings this spring for the Braves, including four starts. He hasn't pitched in the majors since 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early 2023, but he was fighting for a spot on Atlanta's roster this spring.
The 26-year-old was the third overall pick in the 2016 draft by Atlanta, and he is 22-13 with a 3.97 ERA over parts of three major league seasons. Anderson reached the big leagues in 2020 and won a World Series ring in 2021 after pitching in four postseason games, most notably throwing five hitless innings in Game 3 of the World Series against Houston.
But Anderson struggled in 2022 before getting sent to the minors, and he made 15 minor league starts last season after returning from surgery.
Suarez had spent his entire career with the Angels, who signed him out of Venezuela as a teenager in 2014. He started 34 games for the Angels from 2021 to 2022 and became a key part of their rotation.
But Suarez struggled badly in early 2023, and he spent the past two years moving through the Angels' rotation, the bullpen and the minors while unable to recapture his previous form.
The Angels and the Braves have now made four trades during the current offseason. Los Angeles general manager Perry Minasian worked for Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos with the Blue Jays and the Braves before the Angels hired him four seasons ago.
