Pirates Add Chase Anderson as Non-Roster Invitee

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates have added to their competition in the starting rotation. Right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson was added on a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training, a source confirmed to Pittsburgh Baseball Now.

Anderson, 36, is a 10-year veteran, having made stops with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies.

The right-hander has made a total of 218 appearances, 200 of which have been as a starting pitcher. In his career, he’s gone 59-56 with a 4.35 ERA. He owns a career 19.9% strikeout rate, which is paired with an 8.1% walk rate.

The past few seasons have not been kind to Anderson. Since the start of 2020, Anderson has gone 6-16 with a 6.19 ERA in 52 appearances, a total of 192 innings pitched. He’s been prone to the long ball during his recent struggles and has yielded 41 homers (1.9 home runs per nine innings).

In Anderson, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be adding another veteran presence to an otherwise youthful group of starting pitchers. He’s the second pitcher with starting pitching experience brought in this spring as lefty Josh Fleming was signed to a split-contract earlier in the week.

Anderson and Fleming join the likes of Quinn Priester, Roansy Contreras, Luis Ortiz, Bailey Falter and a handful of others in competition for the final two starting rotation spots. Barring anything unforeseen, Mitch Keller, Martín Pérez and Marco Gonzales make up the top three spots in the Pirates’ rotation.

The Pirates have also been linked to free agent starters Domingo Germán and Noah Syndergaard, as well as trade target Edward Cabrera.