5 replacements for Yankees’ Domingo German after shoulder injury

3. Brett Anderson

Hey, if all you need is innings soaked, you could do far worse than targeting the runoff from the elite Brewers rotation.

And, if you didn’t notice, Brew Crew left-hander Brett Anderson, now a free agent, was actually quite solid in 2021 … and 2020 … and 2019.

With plenty of lost seasons speckled in the mix, Anderson reemerged in ’19 at the age of 31 with the Oakland A’s, our favorite team to watch this offseason. In 176 innings, the second-most of his career, he kept hitters off balance with a 3.89 ERA (and 4.57 FIP). The next two seasons in Milwaukee have featured roughly equivalent FIPs of 4.38 and 4.39.

Anderson’s a low-velocity, high-grit option at this point, but it shouldn’t take more than a few million on a one-year flyer to secure his services. At best, you’ve added another possible Nestor Cortes Jr. clone in a swingman role once he gets into Matt Blake’s change-of-pace lab. At worst, you tried.

In case you’d rather explore the trade market, the Brew Crew might still be the place you’d scope out — Adrian Houser has very nearly been squeezed out, too, thanks to their extreme depth. Coming off a 10-6, 3.22 ERA season, Houser should cost a top-10 prospect and two more in the 15-20 range … you’d think.

Of course, there are two more options waiting.