Mariners Call Up Top Pitching Prospect Kade Anderson
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Kade Anderson is being called up by the Seattle Mariners to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
- Anderson, 22, went 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas, striking out 135 and walking 13 across 93.1 innings while allowing just 47 hits.
- The Seattle Mariners sit at 60-68 after losing the final two games of last year's ALCS to Toronto, with injuries and ineffectiveness derailing a return engagement.
- Anderson was the third pick of the 2025 draft out of LSU, where he struck out 180 in 119 innings as a sophomore for the College World Series champions.
- Seattle won the draft lottery from the 15th-best odds to jump to No. 3, then signed Anderson for $8.8 million after Washington and the Angels took under-slot deals with the first two picks.
- Evaluators told ESPN that Anderson's fastball showed less effectiveness during spring training with the major league ball, but his off-speed stuff is elite enough to expect him to thrive.
- To make room for Anderson, the Mariners are pushing back right-hander Bryan Woo; Seattle's rotation owns a 3.83 ERA this season, fifth in the AL.
Why it matters: Anderson's promotion gives a Mariners rotation with a 3.83 ERA — fifth-best in the AL — a top-of-the-scale arm, and the team is making the move despite a 60-68 record that puts their postseason hopes on life support. Seattle is pushing Bryan Woo aside to clear the Saturday start, a signal the club is treating Anderson's debut as more than a September look-see.
Ask SkimNews
