ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In 2019, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired Nick Anderson from Miami. He became a fixture in their bullpen for a year and a half. During that span, he made 14 postseason appearances, including pitching in the 2020 World Series.
Baseball is a business, though.
Last offseason, the Rays placed Anderson – whose 2021 and 2022 seasons were ruined by injuries – on outright waivers. He cleared them, then elected free agency.
Was he surprised the Rays moved on from him?
“No, not really,” Anderson said Friday. “I kind of figured that it was gonna happen. They gave me a couple of years to try to figure it out after getting hurt. Last year, I still wasn’t back to myself. It’s kind of the way the game goes. Usually you kind of give it out to somebody for a year, maybe two years, to try to ride it out and figure it out. Just couldn’t get it figured out. It really wasn’t a surprise.”
On Friday, Anderson arrived at Tropicana Field for his first regular-season series versus his old team since joining the Braves. He came here for spring training – the Rays played here because of hurricane damage at their Port Charlotte facility – so he’s been on the visitors’ side before.
“That was a little weird,” Anderson said of coming in spring training.
He soon added: “It’s part of the game, so you kind of roll with it and just take it for what it is. I’ve definitely got some memories being back here. And then (thinking about) playing with all the guys. … It feels good, feels weird. That’s just kind of the way baseball is. I don’t really put much thought into it.”
Entering Friday’s series, Anderson had a 3.15 ERA over 34-1/3 innings. He had 35 strikeouts and eight walks. He’s been a nice addition for the Braves. In Friday’s game, Anderson worked around trouble to pitch a scoreless eighth inning against his former team.
The perception of the Rays is this: They help players – sometimes those who are overlooked – maximize their potential. They don’t have a high payroll, so they rely on player development and depth.
What do they do so well?
“They just find what pitchers are good at, and they just tell them to pretty much do that, don’t worry about other things,” Anderson said. “They find out what pitch is best for them and kind of figure out what percentage to use a pitch and where it plays best, and then kind of go from there.”
The Rays didn’t change Anderson. They wanted him to continue with his recipe of hurling his fastball up in the strike zone and throwing his curveball down in the zone.
For the most part, Anderson has pitched in the eighth inning for the Braves. Their bullpen struggled a lot early in the season, which made his contributions important. At one point, he was one of a couple of reliable relievers.
“It’s just good to get him back and regular,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s been through those wars, too, so the situations aren’t going to be too big for him.”
Anderson said his favorite Rays memories occurred in 2019. Being welcomed with open arms after the trade. Helping the team win games. The electric postseason crowd.
Three years later, the Rays placed him on waivers.
It might seem like something that would make a player bitter, but Anderson understood it.
“Just kind of been around for a little bit,” he said. “I think understanding the business helps your mentality, or your mindset, or your feelings. Because you kind of gotta take your feelings out of it and understand that there is just a part to it that it’s just a business.”
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