The Angels and Braves have manufactured yet another trade, this time a swap of two struggling pitchers who were once both highly regarded by their respective organizations.
The Braves acquired lefty pitcher José Suarez, while the Angels got right-handed starter Ian Anderson in the deal. It’s the second trade between the two clubs this week and the fourth since last season.
Anderson, 26, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022. He was the No. 3 overall pick by the Braves in 2016. Once viewed among the sport’s top pitching prospects, Anderson was very solid in 2020 and 2021, posting a 3.58 ERA over 128 1/3 innings in the latter season and helping the team secure a World Series championship that year.
He had a 5.00 ERA in 22 starts in 2022, was sent down, then missed all of 2023 and half of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He made 15 minor-league starts last season. Although Anderson had a 2.25 ERA in 20 spring innings this year, he still walked 20 batters.
Suarez became a rotation stalwart for the Angels in 2021 and 2022, struggled and dealt with a shoulder injury in 2023, and spent most of 2024 in the minor leagues. He primarily pitched in relief in the majors last season. The organization has long stuck with him in the hopes that he’ll follow through on the potential he once showcased.
The left-hander had a 6.55 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings this spring.
#Braves traded Ian Anderson to Angels for LH José Suarez, 27, who had 6.56 ERA in 6 spring games w/ 13 Ks, 5 BB, 3 HR in 11 IP. Suarez has 5.47 ERA in 99 games (61 starts) in 6 seasons (all Angels), w/ 346 Ks & 154 BB in 376 2/3 IP. Had 6.91 ERA in 33g (10 starts) past 2 seasons
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 23, 2025
Both players now have a chance to start over with a new club.
The Braves and Angels have established a pattern of making trades. Angels GM Perry Minasian spent years working under Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, and it’s clear there’s a comfortability in making deals.
Just this offseason, the Angels acquired Jorge Soler for Griffin Canning. They traded Davis Daniel to Atlanta for Mitch Farris. And last week, the Angels acquired Angel Perdomo from Atlanta.
The Braves on Sunday also optioned Bryce Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett and reassigned right-handers Jesse Chavez and Craig Kimbrel and catcher James McCann to minor-league camp. The moves cleared the way for AJ Smith-Shawver to be in the Opening Day rotation and settled the opening roster, barring an unexpected late addition from outside the organization.
Anderson’s half-season at Triple-A Gwinnett — plus his impressive past postseason performances before surgery — weren’t good enough to persuade the Braves to bring him up at the end of 2024 when they needed an emergency starter for the Wild Card Series. They went with Smith-Shawver instead for that assignment. And they’ll go with Smith-Shawver now to fill a spot at the back of the rotation.
Anderson had a shot at winning a rotation spot this spring since he’s out of minor-league options, giving him an edge over the likes of Smith-Shawver, who’s still a rookie after pitching in seven regular-season games (six starts) and two postseason games for the Braves during 2023-24. But the constant walking of the proverbial tightrope wasn’t something the Braves were interested in seeing during the regular season.
(Photo of Anderson: Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
