Bye Bye Brett Anderson, A’s Ship Lefty to Colorado for Drew Pomeranz, Minor Leaguer

The speculation surrounding A’s lefty Brett Anderson had reached a boiling point.  We knew, the A’s knew, and Brett Anderson himself knew that he was going to be traded.  Now, it has finally happened as Anderson and cash has been sent to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for another left hander Drew Pomeranz and minor league pitcher Chris Jensen.  Pomeranz, 25, equates to essentially a slightly younger, less expensive version of Anderson himself.  He has a bit of an injury history as well, most recently a bicep issue that sidelined him for an extended period of time in 2013.

Apr 7, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics trainer Walt Horn (left) looks at starting pitcher Brett Anderson (49) during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The part that hurts for A’s fans is the notion that had Billy Beane pulled the trigger on an Anderson deal with the Kansas City Royals a year ago, the A’s could have netted the eventual AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers.  Now they have to settle for a once top prospect, who has as hazy a future as Anderson does.  Hopefully Pomeranz can stay away from the slew of random injuries that befell Anderson since he returned from his Tommy John surgery.  Hopefully Pomeranz can keep himself from falling off the mound repeatedly.

Many A’s fans held Brett Anderson in very high regard, perhaps higher than was justifiable.  Pomeranz or Jensen may have to turn into frontline starters in order for this deal to seem like anything but a salary dump.  The bottom line though is that the primary motivation for this deal must have been to shed the $8 million that is owed to Anderson in 2014, otherwise the mediocre return is a massive blunder for Billy Beane.

Pomeranz will likely find himself spending most of 2014 in Sacramento, and would be the first option to come up to Oakland should another starter be needed.  The biggest return for this trade could ultimately end up being the reallocation of the money that would have been paid to Anderson, time will tell if Billy Beane has another move up his sleeve.