The Atlanta Braves acquired lefty Jose Suarez in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels. The Braves sent right-hand pitcher Ian Anderson in the opposite direction.
The Suarez-Anderson swap is the fourth time that the Braves and Angels did business together since the end of the 2024 MLB season. This is not surprising considering that the Angels’ general manager, Perry Minasian, worked under the Braves’ GM, Alex Anthopoulos, from 2017 to 2020.
With this trade, the Braves and Angels both hope that a change of scenery will prove beneficial for once-promising pitchers who went through a rough patch in the past several years.
Suarez made his MLB debut for the Angels in 2019. After initially struggling in the majors, he started establishing himself as a reliable part of the rotation for the LA team. He made 45 starts in 2022 and 2023 combined, going 16-16 with a 3.85 ERA and 188 strikeouts.
However, Suarez suffered a shoulder injury in 2023 and struggled to find rhythm after that. He played 22 games last season but most of them were in the relief role.
Anderson, on the other hand, was considered among the Braves’ top pitching after being selected third overall in the 2016 MLB Draft. His best season in MLB came during the 2021 campaign, in which he went 9-5 with a 3.58 ERA and 124 strikeouts while helping the Braves win the World Series. After struggling in 2022, he was demoted to minors before undergoing Tommy John surgery that kept him out for the entire 2023 season and the better part of 2024.
