Phils Trade for a Starter

Apparently sick and tired of watching Vince Velasquez and Spencer Howard struggle to get past the fourth inning of their starts, the Phillies have reportedly traded for Pirates lefty Tyler Anderson.

Anderson's big appeal is that he's pitched five or more innings in each of his 15 starts this season. He has a 4.35 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP for the year.

To get Anderson, the Phillies sent Cristian Hernandez and Abraham Guitierrez to the Pirates. Both players are in low A ball. Anderson is signed through the end of this season and is eligible to become a free agent for the 2022 season.

This seems like a pretty good low-risk trade for the Phils. Anderson gives them innings and they don't really lose anything of value in Hernandez and Guitierrez. But the best outcome of this trade is that it keeps Vince Velasquez from being a starting pitcher. So that's a win right there.