A member of the 2021 Atlanta Braves World Series championship departs from the organization again. According to his transaction page, right-hander Ian Anderson has elected free agency.
This marks the second time this calendar year that he has departed from the organization. He was traded to the Angels at the end of Spring Training. He returned a month later after being claimed off waivers.
There is always the chance that he comes back on a minor-league deal and gets a shot in Spring Training. However, that’s a wait-and-see. Another team could end up signing him, at least for pitching depth.
With the Angels, he saw his first action in the Majors since 2022. Outside of Spring Training, he didn’t pitch for the Braves in 2025. While with the Braves, he spent most of his time with Triple-A Gwinnett. He had a rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus toward the end of the season. He missed about two months due to developing ulnar neuritis, a condition that causes inflammation in the elbow.
“It’s been a tough year,” he said back in September. “Just a lot of start and stop.”
While he struggled ahead of going on the injured list, he showed promise in his return. In three starts with Columbus, he had a 3.09 ERA over 11 1/2 innings pitched. He allowed four earned runs in his lone start after returning to Triple-A, but he completed six innings for the first time all season.
It’s very likely his time with the Braves is over, but we’ve thought that before. If this is it, he’s still left a mark that many will remember for a long time. He was a key starter for the Braves when they won the World Series. In Game 3, he pitched five no-hit, shutout innings to help with the team to a 2-1 series lead over the Houston Astros.
In eight postseason starts between 2020 and 2021, he had a 1.26 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings pitched. In an interview with Atlanta Braves on SI, he expressed his determination to show that he can get back into a big league rotation.
“I don’t think it would be a surprise that if said back in ‘21 when I walked off the mound in the World Series, that I thought that things would play out a lot differently,” he said. “So, it would be awesome to have a chance to get back out there and prove to myself more than anything that no matter how many bumps in the road there were, it was always meant to be.”
It could happen. Many are pulling for him. However, there is a high chance it’s not in Atlanta.
