Dodgers sign Tyler Anderson to 1-year contract

The Dodgers on Friday added another starting pitching option, signing left-hander Tyler Anderson to a one-year contract. He takes the 40-man roster space created earlier Friday when outfielder Luke Raley was traded to Tampa Bay for minor league pitcher Tanner Dodson.

Anderson will earn $8 million in 2022, per Jeff Passan of ESPN, and can earn another $500,000 for reaching 100 innings pitched, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Anderson had a 4.53 ERA and 4.27 xERA in 31 starts with the Pirates and Mariners in 2021, with 134 strikeouts and 38 walks in 167 innings. His 5.4-percent walk rate was ninth-best among qualified MLB pitchers last season.

The left-hander turned 32 in December.

Walker Buehler, Julio Urías, and Clayton Kershaw head the Dodgers rotation, and they’ve been stockpiling arms to fill in after that. Andrew Heaney and Tony Gonsolin will figure prominently into the starting plans, as will Anderson. After that, David Price, Mitch White, and Andre Jackson are in the mix. Dustin May and Danny Duffy are expected at some point in the second half of the season after rehabbing from injuries, and non-roster prospects Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, and Landon Knack are among the group of minor leaguers who could find their way to the majors at some point in 2022.

A shortened spring training means most pitchers won’t be fully built up by opening day, so the Dodgers will likely have to use several arms in the early part of the regular season, perhaps with temporarily augmented rosters.

“The pitching, we’re going to take it day by day, and not push those guys,” manager Dave Roberts said on March 15, per SportsNet LA. “Industry-wide, there might be a couple outliers, where a guy is built up to five innings. But across the board it’s going to be a job by committee-type thing. Three to four innings is going to be more common, certainly for us, and across baseball.”

Anderson will wear uniform number number 31 with the Dodgers.

In parts of six major league seasons with the Rockies, Giants, Pirates, and Mariners, Anderson has a 4.62 ERA (100 ERA+), 4.43 FIP, 542 strikeouts and 187 walks in 623⅔ innings in 117 games, including 113 starts.