The Atlanta Braves made a tough decision to trade Ian Anderson, a once-promising right-handed pitcher, to the Los Angeles Angels just a week before the 2025 MLB season began.
Not too long ago, Anderson was viewed as a key player in the Braves’ future. He had earned National League Rookie of the Year votes for two consecutive seasons and was a key contributor in the postseason. His potential to anchor Atlanta’s starting rotation seemed certain.
However, things took a turn for the worse due to injuries that disrupted Anderson’s career. As the years went by, his performance deteriorated, and his struggles continued.
This was especially apparent in spring training, where Anderson was notably ineffective. With the realization that he could no longer be relied upon as a major league starter, the Braves made the difficult decision to part ways with him.
The trade was made with the hope that the Braves could add a useful piece to their bullpen, which had been a weak point for the team. Atlanta had not addressed their bullpen needs during the offseason, so the team sought help by acquiring left-handed pitcher José Suarez from the Angels.
Suarez was expected to provide a much-needed option for Braves manager Brian Snitker, who was looking for additional left-handed depth in the bullpen.
But the Suarez trade quickly turned sour. Despite a respectable 2.45 ERA early in the season, Suarez’s performance didn’t inspire confidence. He was walking more batters than he was striking out, and his low ERA was partly due to a lucky .118 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), a statistic that typically regresses to the mean over time.
As expected, Suarez’s numbers started to decline, and the Braves eventually had to admit that the move hadn’t worked out. They designated him for assignment (DFA), which meant his brief time with the team came to an end.
With Suarez out of the picture, the Braves made another move to fill his spot on the 40-man roster by adding right-handed pitcher Scott Blewett. Blewett has bounced between three different teams in 2025 alone—having stints with the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles before joining the Braves.
Blewett has posted solid numbers so far this season, with a 1.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 9 innings, suggesting that he could be a reliable option to help stabilize the bullpen. With Atlanta struggling to maintain leads late in games, Blewett might be the key to strengthening the team’s relief pitching, especially in the late innings.
However, the bigger picture here is that the Anderson trade is turning out to be a failure for both sides. Anderson, once seen as a future ace, has struggled significantly with the Angels. In his early appearances as a reliever, he has posted an ugly 9.72 ERA in just 8.1 innings of work, walking six batters in that time.
His struggles have been all too familiar to Braves fans who watched his decline firsthand. The Angels are in a tough spot with Anderson, as they have few other options to replace him in the bullpen. They haven’t given up on him yet, but his performance so far suggests that this might be another lost cause.
Looking at the trade in hindsight, it’s clear that neither team benefited from the deal. The Braves traded away a once-promising starter, but it hasn’t panned out for the Angels either, as Anderson continues to struggle.
While both teams hoped to improve their pitching staff, it’s safe to say that this trade will go down as a lose-lose situation. At least for the Braves, they can take some comfort in knowing that the trade didn’t end up benefiting their trade partners, either.