SEATTLE (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates indeed traded left-hander Tyler Anderson on Tuesday to a playoff contender — the Seattle Mariners, not the Philadelphia Phillies.
Earlier in the day, reports circulated the Pirates were close to sending the 31-year-old Anderson to the Phils. Instead, he wound up on the other coast, when the Mariners made their second trade of the day that involved pitching.
Seattle sent a pair of minor leaguers, catcher Carter Bins and righty Joaquin Tejada, to the Pirates.
Anderson is 5-8 with a 4.35 ERA in 18 starts.
“We see Tyler as a solid addition to our club,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He brings much needed depth to our rotation as we enter the final third of our schedule.”
Hours before that, the Mariners traded Kendall Graveman, one of the best relievers in the majors this season, and pitcher Rafael Montero to AL West-leading Houston for infielder Abraham Toro and reliever Joe Smith.
It seemed to be a puzzling move — Seattle trailed Oakland by one game in the race for the second wild-card spot, and was within striking distance of the Astros.
“It’s part of a context that’s going to be an ongoing story over the next couple of days” as the trade deadline nears, Dipoto said at the time.
“What comes next could be as early as tonight or tomorrow because we do plan on being active,” he added.
Soon after that, the Mariners worked out the deal for Anderson.
The Pirates signed Anderson to a one-year deal in February, giving him a chance to reset his career after a solid if not spectacular season in San Francisco.
He immediately became the veteran on a totally rebuilt starting rotation. He was scheduled to start Tuesday night against Milwaukee, but was pulled shortly beforehand with his future status up in the air.
Anderson is 27-35 in a six-year career. He started out with Colorado, joined the Giants in 2020 and then went to Pittsburgh.
Anderson is the second Pirates player to be flipped as Friday's trade deadline nears. All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier was sent to San Diego in return for prospects over the weekend.
The 22-year-old Bins hit a combined .247 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 50 games at the Double-A and High-A levels this season.
The 18-year-old Tejada pitched five innings this season with the Dominican Summer League Mariners in his professional debut.
Seattle also designated for assignment infielder Jake Hager. The 28-year-old Hager was claimed off waivers from Milwaukee on June 22 and had been in Triple-A for the Mariners.
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AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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