Dodgers sign former Rays reliever who they destroyed in 2020 World Series

Nick Anderson had it all going on in 2020. He was traded to the Rays from the Marlins at the 2019 deadline and did well for Tampa Bay through the rest of the season, pitching 21 1/3 innings for a 2.11 ERA. The next year, the COVID-shortened season, he pitched 16 1/3 innings for a ridiculous 0.55 ERA that got him a selection to that year's All-MLB First Team. It was a tiny sample size, yes, but he also carried a 14.3% K/9 with a .140 expected batting average against.

But then he got to the postseason and it all fell apart. He'd already been there before with the Rays in 2019 and did very well, but he stumbled through the Wild Card, ALDS, and ALCS against the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Astros, giving up 11 hits and six runs in just under 12 innings pitched. Still, the Rays prevailed, and he headed to the World Series against the Dodgers, even more overworked and tired than when he began.

More travails awaited him there. He pitched three innings across Games 2, 4, and a decisive 6, giving up three runs. He was the pitcher who came in to relieve Blake Snell after Kevin Cash made the controversial decision to pull him, and he was the one who threw a wild pitch that allowed a game-tying Dodgers run to get on the board.

Almost four years later, the Dodgers are welcoming him into the fold. He was released by the Royals on July 18 and signed a minor-league deal with LA after a very short free agency.

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Dodgers sign once-dominant reliever Nick Anderson to a minor-league deal

Anderson was DFA'ed by the Rays following the 2022 season after experiencing two major setbacks in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, he went onto the IL before the season started with a partial tear in his elbow and didn't return until September, when he pitched only six innings before undergoing elbow surgery (not Tommy John) after the season ended. He was optioned to Triple-A after he recovered and DFA'ed on Nov. 9.

He bounced over to the Braves on a one-year deal for 2023 and pitched 35 1/3 innings for a 3.06 ERA before going back onto the 60-day IL with a shoulder issue. Atlanta traded him to the Kansas City Royals for cash at the end of the season. This year, he pitched almost 36 innings for the Royals with a 4.04 ERA before being released outright. His metrics indicate a significant regression is coming from that acceptable ERA.

This is an interesting pickup for the Dodgers, given Anderson's extensive history of injury and his only proven ability coming in relatively short spurts. Still, the Dodgers bullpen is in need of some reinforcements, and although Anderson would probably fall low on the list of Triple-A pitchers to turn to in a pinch, at least he's major league tested.