The Red Sox had a shortage in their pitching staff, but it seems they’ve taken steps to address it by reportedly signing veteran right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson to a major league contract, as reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The deal is pending a physical examination, which is expected to be completed before Opening Day, according to Cotillo.
Craig Breslow, the Red Sox’s chief baseball officer, confirmed on Saturday that the organization was actively working on finalizing the Anderson deal, as verified by Rob Bradford of Audacy.
Anderson exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, as noted by Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The Pirates didn’t promote him to the MLB roster, allowing him to become a free agent once again.
At 36 years old, Anderson was competing for a flexible role in Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, either as a back-end rotation option or a multi-inning reliever in the bullpen. During this spring, he made one start in four appearances, conceding only three earned runs while striking out nine batters and walking three. It’s likely that he will be utilized alongside Josh Winckowski as a pitcher who can handle multiple innings in the bullpen on Opening Day.
Additionally, the Red Sox might consider incorporating him into the rotation if their current strategy of giving Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock starting opportunities doesn’t yield the desired results.
Anderson split his time in 2023 between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies, accumulating a 5.42 ERA across 86 1/3 innings in 19 appearances. Throughout his decade-long career in the majors, he has played for seven different teams.