Braves sign Nick Anderson to one-year deal, designate Rylan Bannon for assignment

Free agency is underway and the Atlanta Braves have signed their first player agreeing to a one-year with former Rays reliever Nick Anderson. Per Passan, the deal is a split deal that will pay Anderson $875,000 if he is in the majors and $180,000 if he is in the minors. Atlanta’s 40-man roster is currently full, so there will have to be a corresponding move once it is officially announced.

Anderson was placed on outright waivers by the Rays earlier this week. He cleared waivers and elected free agency. It has been a long and winding road for Anderson since his breakout season in 2019. He’s logged a total of 22 1/3 innings at the major league level since the start of the 2020 season due to a variety of injuries including a brace procedure to repair a partially torn ACL. He logged 16 innings at Triple A in 2022 while posting an unimpressive 5.63 ERA and a 6.82 FIP while striking out just 17.4% of the hitters he faced.

It is a low cost flyer on a pitcher that is three injury plagued years from a dominant relief season. The subtractions of Kenley Jansen and Tyler Matzek for the 2023 season will provide an opportunity for Anderson if he can put his injury issues behind him.

UPDATE - The Braves have officially announced the move. Rylan Bannon was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.