A's Should Take a Swing with Nick Anderson

Nick Anderson has missed most of the last two seasons due to injury, but he's a buy-low candidate that the A's should jump on

Nick Anderson found himself outrighted from the Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster on Wednesday, which means he has to clear waivers before deciding whether he wants to remain with the Rays in the minor leagues or become a free agent. 

Waivers in baseball actually favor the A's here, too--if they want him. Essentially any team can put in a claim for a waived player, but the waiver claim goes to the team with the worst record in the waiving team's league. In this case, that would be the American League, where the A's had the worst record in 2022. To quote Arwen from Lord of the Rings, "If you want him, come and claim him." 

So why should the A's be so interested in Nick Anderson? He's been hurt for most of the past two seasons, required elbow surgery last October, and suffered a foot injury this season in the minors while rehabbing the elbow. 

For starters, that missed time means that he won't be getting a huge amount in arbitration. Likely somewhere in the $1MM range after banking $845,000 in 2022, plus he isn't a free agent until after the 2025 season. MLB Trade Rumors estimates he'll get $845,000 again in 2023 through their model. 

With the big league minimum going up to $720,000 this season, if that arbitration estimate is close, then taking a chance on someone with Nick Anderson's upside is a no-brainer. 

He's a fastball/curveball guy that was throwing mid-90s in 2020 when he finished with an 0.55 ERA across 16 1/3 innings in the shortened season. He was acquired by the Rays in 2019 and his numbers immediately improved, going from a 3.92 ERA with Miami to a 2.11 ERA with Tampa Bay. 

His track record of success isn't terribly long, but if a team like the A's took a chance on him and he ended up being healthy and effective, he could be one of the best relief arms on the market at the Trade Deadline. With the team control still attached to him, the A's wouldn't even have to move him this deadline if they wanted to build up his value even further, and instead could trade him at the Deadline in 2024. 

On November 19 last year, the A's took a chance on former top prospect Brent Honeywell Jr., sending cash to the Rays as they tried to clear up spots on their 40-man roster. 

These are the types of moves that the A's will likely be looking to make this winter. They're not super exciting long-term, but they could end up netting the A's some nice depth pieces for their next competitive cycle. For just over what they're going to be paying whoever fills that spot on the roster anyway, they could add Nick Anderson, a potential Deadline target for a number of contenders just a few months later.