Former Royals' cast off is latest to join Orioles band of misfit relievers

On Tuesday afternoon, Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported that the Orioles had come to terms with free agent reliever Nick Anderson. The 34 year old right hander had spent the first three months of the 2024 season with the Royals, but was released just after the All Star break due to his lackluster performance.

Anderson pitched to a 4.04 ERA in Kansas City, combining an untenable 5.07 FIP with a below average 19% strikeout rate. He actually notched a save and two holds in 35.2 innings but lost his job when the Royals acquired Hunter Harvey from the Nationals a couple weeks before the trade deadline.

After clearing waivers, Anderson signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers that included two August opt-outs, the latter of which Anderson exercised and hit the free agent market for the second time this summer.

Anderson pitched well in the Dodgers' system. They were able to help get him back on track in terms of missing bats, but living on the edges of the strike zone pushed his walk rate all the way up to 16.7%.

The righty has had success in the past, pitching well in Atlanta last year and posting two good years in a row between 2019-2020 with the Marlins and Rays. He was a strikeout machine before the covid interruption and there's some hope that the time he spent with the Dodgers' pitching gurus will help get him back to that point.

The Orioles need Nick Anderson to be the best version of himself down the stretch

It's possible that the Orioles will get the best version of Anderson, or at least something close to it. They've had a modicum of success bringing in veteran relievers and throwing them into the fire this year.

Craig Kimbrel isn't a great example for this at the moment, but he had an outstanding run prior to the All Star break. In addition to Kimbrel, the Orioles have also gotten some solid innings out of guys like Matt Bowman, Burch Smith, and 2023 addition Jacob Webb who is currently on the IL but set to return in early September.

While the O's inked Anderson to a minor league deal, Roch Kubatko reports that the organization is likely to fast track him to the majors.

It's possible that the Orioles will look to move Anderson into Smith's spot, as Smith has had a rough go in August. However, Gregory Soto's job could also be in question, considering that the lefty has a 12.71 ERA with a 6.70 FIP since the Orioles acquired him at the deadline.

Wherever Anderson ends up, the Orioles need him to pitch well. Kimbrel's collapse and Webb's injury have left the Orioles bullpen short, and they need to make up the difference in a tight division race with the Yankees.