Athletics, Pirates Complete Tanner Anderson Trade

On the eve of the 40-man roster deadline, the Pirates traded righthander pitching prospect Tanner Anderson to the Athletics for a player to be named later. On Saturday, that player was named.

The Pirates acquired 18-year-old righthander Wilkin Ramos to complete the trade. Ramos spent last season in the Dominican Summer League and was the top pitcher the A’s signed during the 2017 international signing period.

 

PIRATES ACQUIRE:

Wilkin Ramos, RHP
Age: 18

Signed for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic last year, Ramos has a 6-foot-5, 165-pound frame that screams projection. Just 17 all of last season in the Dominican Summer League, he sat 88-92 mph and touched higher and backed it up with a complete array of secondaries. His 74-78 mph curveball is the furthest along, while his 82-84 mph short slider and changeup are still developing. Ramos has a fluid, easy, high three-quarter delivery and generates plenty of angle on his pitches. With plenty of room to add strength and velocity, he becomes one of the most interesting long-term pitching prospects in the A’s system. He is in line to make his U.S. debut next season.

 

ATHLETICS ACQUIRE:

Tanner Anderson, RHP
Age: 25

The former Harvard standout moved to relief full time last year and posted a 2.64 ERA at Triple-A Indianapolis while making his major league debut with six relief appearances for the Pirates. Anderson sits 93 mph on his sinker in relief, and his mid-80s slider is his swing-and-miss pitch. He has a heavy ground ball tendency, with nearly three groundouts for every flyout in his career. He has a chance to be a part of Oakland’s middle relief corps as a groundball specialist.