Brewers trade pitcher Chase Anderson to Blue Jays - MLB

Robert Murray reports that the Toronto Blue Jays are acquiring right-hander Chase Anderson from the Milwaukee Brewers. Scott Mitchell of TSN is reporting that the Jays are sending back minor league first baseman Chad Spanberger. He’s 24 and he struggled at Double-A last year so, no, he’s not really a prospect.

The Brewers needed to decide by today whether they were going to pick up Anderson’s $8.5 million club option for 2020 (he also has a $9.5 million club option for 2021). By dealing him to Toronto, that’s now the Jays’ problem. It’s likely that the Brewers were set to decline the option and in dealing him they’ll at least get a little something for their trouble.

Anderson is worth more to the rebuilding Blue Jays than he is to the contending Brewers at the moment. He’s a back-of-the-rotation guy for Milwaukee but could be more of a mid-rotation innings-eater for a club that is less likely to contend. As it is, he posted a 4.21 ERA and 124/50 K/BB ratio over 139 innings in 2019, falling prey to the long ball a bit too much. He’s a league average starter with upside, basically, and the Jays didn’t have many guys even that good in their often terrible 2019 rotation.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, no doubt seeks to upgrade their rotation and feels it can put the $8.5 million to better use.

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BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles signed outfielder Aaron Hicks less than 24 hours after Cedric Mullins went down with a strained right groin.

Mullins went on the 10-day injured list, but the Orioles are hoping Hicks can help defensively in the spacious outfield at Camden Yards. Hicks was released last week by the New York Yankees with more than 2 1/2 seasons left on his contract.

“We had noticed that he was a free agent even before the injury,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. “When the injury occurred and it became pretty clear this was going to be an IL, it seemed like a good fit even more so at that time.”

The Orioles are responsible for paying Hicks just $483,871, a prorated share of the $720,000 minimum salary. The Yankees owe him the rest of his $10.5 million salary this year, plus $9.5 million in each of the next two seasons and a $1 million buyout of a 2026 team option.

The 33-year-old Hicks hit just .188 in 28 games for the Yankees this year.

“We have stuff that we look at from a scouting and evaluation perspective,” Elias said. “It’s very different from just looking at the back of a baseball card, and we hope that we get a bounceback from anyone we bring here.”

Hicks batted .216 last season.

“Hopefully that’s a good thing for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Baltimore deal. “A lot of time here and a lot of good things happened for him here. I know the last couple of years have been a struggle. But hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him and certainly wish him well. Not too well being in our division and a team we’re chasing, but hopefully it’s a really good fit for him.”

Mullins left a loss to Cleveland after he pulled up while running out an infield grounder. Outfielder Colton Cowser – the fifth pick in the draft two years ago – is hitting .331 at Triple-A Norfolk, but he went on the IL in the past couple weeks.

“Certainly he was building a case towards promotion consideration prior to his injury and prior to Cedric’s injury,” Elias said. “We’ll just see where we’re at.”

Hicks was active for the game but not in the starting lineup. Austin Hays, normally Baltimore’s left field, was in Mullins’ usual spot in center.

When the wall in left at Camden Yards was pushed significantly back before last season, it made left field a bigger challenge defensively.

“In this park … you really need two center fielders,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Aaron’s got a lot of center-field experience. Played left field here before also. Brings the defensive aspect and then the switch-hitting.”