4:32 p.m. EST update: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Rockies are acquiring Anderson from the A’s in return for left-hander Drew Pomeranz and right-hander Chris Jensen.
Anderson’s addition will likely leave Juan Nicasio and Jordan Lyles battling for one spot in Colorado’s rotation. The A’s still have six starters without him, a total that doesn’t even include Pomeranz. Jensen, 23, had a 4.55 ERA last season in high-A ball, but that came with a nice 136/39 K/BB ratio in 152 1/3 innings.
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The Denver Post’s Troy Renck and FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal are reporting that the Rockies and A’s have restarted talks regarding left-hander Brett Anderson. The Rockies have also been pursuing Reds reliever Sean Marshall as they attempt to bolster their pitching staff.
As things stand right now, the Rockies are likely looking at a rotation of Jhoulys Chacin, Jorge De La Rosa, Tyler Chatwood, Juan Nicasio and the newly acquired Jordan Lyles, who was picked up in the Dexter Fowler trade with the Astros. The bullpen is set to consist of LaTroy Hawkins, Rex Brothers, Matt Belisle, Adam Ottavino, Chad Bettis, Wilton Lopez and Josh Outman.
Anderson would be an odd choice for a Rockies team that typically works with a pretty strict budget. He’s a big talent, but he’s also an $8 million wild card, which would seem to make him better suited for a large-market team that can afford the risk.
Marshall also comes with some risk after missing most of last year with shoulder problems. He’s one of the game’s premier left-handed reliever when healthy, but he’s also owed $12 million for the next two years. If the Rockies did pick him up, perhaps they’d be more inclined to let Brothers close over Hawkins, since they’d still have another lefty capable of working in the seventh and eighth.
Update: MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports that Drew Pomeranz’s name has come up in the Anderson talks. Pomeranz, a former top prospect of the Indians, has a 5.20 ERA in 30 starts and four relief appearances for the Rockies over the last three seasons.