After Phillies trade falls through, Pirates have deal to send Tyler Anderson to Mariners

The Pittsburgh Pirates officially are open for business before the MLB trade deadline, as general manager Ben Cherington is conducting a fire sale of veterans for a haul of prospects.

After dealing All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier to San Diego on Sunday and right-handed reliever Clay Holmes to the New York Yankees on Monday, the Pirates agreed to trade left-handed starter Tyler Anderson.

When their deal with the Philadelphia Phillies to acquire a pair of Single-A players in right-handed pitcher Cristian Hernandez and catcher Abrahan Gutierrez reportedly fell through, the Pirates found a new trade partner. They are now sending Anderson to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects, catcher Carter Bins and right-handed pitcher Joaquin Tejada, pending physicals.

The 22-year-old Bins, an 11th-round pick out of Fresno State in 2019, is ranked the Mariners’ No. 29 prospect by Baseball America. Bins has above-average power and arm strength but needs to improve his blocking and receiving and his bat speed. The 6-foot, 200-pound right-handed hitter batted .284/.422/.493 with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBIs at High-A Everett before being promoted to Double-A Arkansas, where he hit 2 for 30 in 10 games.

That’ll play.

Carter Bins | #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/Q07JcUMz9B

— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) April 19, 2021

Tejada, 18, signed with the Mariners for $200,000 in July 2019 out of Panama. Since then, the 5-foot-11, 160-pounder has increased his fastball velocity from the high 80s to 93 mph. Tejada was 0-0 in two games in the Dominican Summer League, allowing six runs (four earned) on one hit and four walks with eight strikeouts.

?? ?? Panama starter Joaquin Tejada 2 strikeouts vs Chinese Taipei in 1st Inning #U15WorldCup @fedebeisoficial @ctba @SertvDeportes pic.twitter.com/s6XeXWD5wf

— WBSC #Baseball ⚾ #Tokyo2020 (@WBSC) August 11, 2018

The Pirates raised eyebrows when they scratched Anderson on Tuesday afternoon from his scheduled start against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park, signaling a trade was imminent. There appeared to be a snag, however, when Anderson threw in the bullpen and then watched the game from the home dugout.

Anderson, 31, who signed a one-year, $2.5 million free-agent contract in the offseason, was 5-8 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 85 strikeouts and 25 walks in a team-high 103¹⁄₃ innings over 18 games for the Pirates. He proved to be a reliable innings-eater, going at least five in every start. The Mariners (55-46) are one game behind Oakland (56-45) for wild-card contention in the American League.

“We see Tyler as a solid addition to our club,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “He brings much needed depth to our rotation as we enter the final third of our schedule.”

The Pirates recalled right-hander Cody Ponce from Triple-A Indianapolis and infielder Rodolfo Castro from Double-A Altoona but decided to give right-hander Luis Oviedo his first major-league start. Oviedo has worked exclusively out of the bullpen in 18 ²⁄₃ innings over 12 appearances for the Pirates this season but started three games during his rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis. He allowed eight runs (six earned) on five hits and three walks in one inning in the 9-0 loss. Castro started at second base Tuesday night against the Brewers, replacing Frazier.

“I pretty much go day by day, and the ability to adapt and adjust is something I really feel that our staff learned last year,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “So when you’re at the trade deadline, whether you’re the Pirates or any team, you’re kind of in that mode every day. So right now we are adapting and adjusting and going with the guys we have and kind of moving forward that way.”