Getty Tim Anderson
There are few free agents this offseason who’ve had a quieter market than Tim Anderson. Aside from his wife’s recent pregnancy announcement, the ex-Chicago White Sox shortstop has largely stayed out of the limelight, and any rumors of interest from teams seem to exit the news cycle before any real hype is drummed up.
On January 5, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand listed the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, and Miami Marlins as the most likely landing spots for Anderson, even somewhat optimistically predicting his market would heat up soon. MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams also mentioned Anderson as a fit for the Marlins on January 25, though no official talks between the parties have been reported.
At the end of 2023, the White Sox declined the $14 million club option on Anderson’s contract, ending his eight-year tenure on the South Side. Earlier in his career, Anderson was one of the most consistent contact hitters in MLB, earning two All-Star appearances (2021, 2022) and the title of AL batting champion (2019), but his performance since the 2022 All-Star break has told a very different story.
After an already-noticeable decline in production at the end of 2022, last season was the worst of Anderson’s career. He finished the year with the lowest WRC+ of all qualified hitters (60), slashing .245/.286/.296 with just one home run in 524 plate appearances. It was a rather meteoric fall from grace, and now in free agency, Anderson is presumably hoping teams remember his .318/.347/.474 slash line from 2019-22, rather than his more recent stats.
Projected Contract Value
Considering his performance in 2023, Anderson is most likely looking at a one-year, “prove-it” deal this season, similar to the one Cody Bellinger signed with the Chicago Cubs last year.
If Anderson can bounce back even half as well as Bellinger did, the signing team will be getting one heck of a bargain, but as with all struggling players hoping to get back to a form they enjoyed earlier in their career, it’s a risk.
Anderson’s Potential Landing Spots
Feinsand named the Giants, Angels, and Marlins as top landing spots for Anderson, but the Marlins are almost certainly the most likely to seal the deal.
While the Giants are still a possibility to sign Anderson, their interest is presumably dependent on their hopes for top prospect shortstop Marco Luciano. Luciano made his big-league debut last season, and President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said at a press conference in October that they wanted to give him “the chance to be the everyday guy” in 2024. As such, the Giants’ need for another shortstop, especially an underperforming one, is questionable.
The Angels have largely focused on pitching acquisitions this winter after losing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to free agency, but they could use some bats to support Mike Trout in the lineup. Still, Anderson certainly isn’t the strongest option available on the market, and if Los Angeles wants a big hitter, Bellinger, Jorge Soler, Matt Chapman, and J.D. Martinez would all be safer picks, even if they’d likely be a lot more expensive.
Of the teams named as potential landing spots for Anderson, the Marlins make the most sense.
With less than two weeks before players report to spring training, Miami is the only team in MLB that hasn’t signed a free agent to a major-league deal this winter. The Marlins need to add a shortstop before 2024, and Anderson could be a low-cost, low-commitment fit.
According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, “The Marlins made an offer to former Yankees shortstop/outfielder Isaiah Kiner-Falefa but weren’t comfortable committing significant money for a second season. So he signed with Toronto for two years and $15 million.”
Perhaps a one-year, low-cost deal to see if Anderson can get back to his former glory days is exactly what both parties need.