Getty Shortstop Tim Anderson could be an intriguing trade option for the San Francisco Giants this season
The San Francisco Giants were aggressive this past offseason, shelling out $6.7 million — the fourth-most of any team — to add several premier free agents, including Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jung Hoo Lee and Blake Snell.
But one area the team did not address, offensive production from the middle of the infield, has been evident in a slow start to the season. To address this need, Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report listed 2019 MLB batting champion Tim Anderson as a potential trade solution.
“The offense … is off to a slow start with a .658 OPS and an average of 4.1 runs per game,” Rymer noted. “And that’s no thanks in large part to an infield with a collective .612 OPS. Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores will likely be fine on the corners, but it’s harder to feign optimism about Nick Ahmed and Thairo Estrada up the middle.”
A Trade for Miami Marlins Shortstop Tim Anderson Could Help the San Francisco Giants Upgrade
Indeed, if the Giants look to upgrade their infield production at the plate, Ahmed seems in danger of losing his starting spot. In 11 big-league seasons, 10 with the Arizona Diamondbacks before joining the Giants, the shortstop has a career .235/.288/.376 slash line. For reference, the 2023 league averages at shortstop were .246/.309/.394.
With a nine-year career slash line of .282/.312/.421, Anderson would almost certainly be an upgrade over Ahmed, but there is reason to be concerned about his prowess at the plate as well. In 2023, following two consecutive All-Star seasons, Anderson slashed just .245/.286/.296. In 50 at bats so far in 2024, he’s gone .280/.308/.300 with 14 hits against 16 strikeouts.
The Miami Marlins Are Likely Open to Trading Tim Anderson to the San Francisco Giants
If the Giants bet that Anderson’s regression from 2023 was a blip, there’s a good chance he will be available for a trade. He’s playing on a one-year, $5 million contract with a Miami Marlins team that could be looking to ship off its best trade assets with an eye toward the future.
“No, it is not too early to envision the Miami Marlins as a trade-deadline seller, not when they already have moved one veteran player and entertained offers for some of their biggest names,” Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin reported for The Athletic. “If the Marlins under (president of baseball operations Peter) Bendix are going to operate like the (Tampa Bay) Rays, they will be open to trading all players at all times. And if they continue to spiral, it might only accelerate the process.”
If the Marlins are open to dealing Anderson, the Giants have some available chips to send in exchange. Ahmed is on an $850,000 deal for this season before hitting free agency, and could be swapped if the Marlins simply want to clear up some payroll. The Giants also have a trio of shortstops within their list of top-10 prospects: 22-year-old Marco Luciano, 20-year-old Walker Martin and 22-year-old Maui Ahuna.
Ahuna, the only one of those shortstops outside of the Giants’ top-five prospects list, has a plus arm and plus fielding, but needs some work at the plate. He might be the kind of youngster the Giants could part with if they see a significant opportunity to upgrade their infield offense in 2024.