We’ve said the option deadline day can sometimes spur trade activity, and elsewhere in the NL Central, it has: Brewers righty Chase Anderson is headed to the Blue Jays.
Sources: #BlueJays acquiring Chase Anderson from the #Brewers.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) November 4, 2019
The return in the deal is not out there yet.
Anderson’s current deal was for two years (2018 and 2019), and then two option years in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 option is for $8.5 million, which the Blue Jays clearly wanted and the Brewers were content to unload. They don’t use starting pitchers anymore, so who needs ’em!
Anderson, who turns 32 later this month, has mostly been a disappointment since his breakout 2017 campaign, which earned him the deal that’s currently being traded to the Blue Jays. The loss for the Brewers here is mostly just in pitching depth, and the upside is more money to spend.
I would not expect the return to the Brewers here to be significant, given Anderson’s struggles and age. At $8.5 million (with another potential year of control), he’s certainly worth having at the back of the rotation if you’re a young, maybe-possibly-competitive team like the Blue Jays, but he’s not necessarily a piece you’d give up a substantial prospect for.
UPDATE: Indeed, the return is the kind of fringe type you’d expect:
Chad Spanberger, reportedly acquired by the Brewers for Chase Anderson, was a sixth-round pick of the Rockies in 2017 and is a .274/.340/.501 hitter in three Minor League seasons, with 59 homers and 200 RBIs in 305 games. He was at Double-A in 2019.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) November 4, 2019
At AA last year, the 23-year-old hit .237/.308/.399. Apparently has a lot of raw power, but strikes out a lot and hasn’t shown as much game power. Not quite “not a guy,” but not a substantial return.