Tim Anderson Is No Longer A Bargain Shortstop For Chicago White Sox

Drafting Tim Anderson was a home run for the Chicago White Sox. The community college shortstop from Alabama had only recently abandoned dreams of a basketball career when the Sox snagged him with the 17th pick in the 2013 draft but needed only three years to finish the climb to Chicago.

Anderson displayed a huge upside, earning Rookie of the Year votes in ’16 before winning an American League batting title with a .335 average in 2019. He won a Silver Slugger in ’20 and has been an All-Star the last two seasons.

He’s also been a financial bargain for almost all of that time. Anderson exchanged the chance to have his salary decided in arbitration on an annual basis for the security of a six-year, $25-million contract in the spring after his rookie season. It’s time to start discussing his next contract, and suddenly it’s no longer clear if he is a long-term fit on the South Side.

Anderson enters a series at Dodger Stadium hitting .263 with a career-low .611 OPS. He’s lost the power he could count on as recently as 2021, going 259 at-bats without a home run since hitting one in Minneapolis on July 15.

It’s easy to point to Anderson’s recent injuries (a torn ligament in his left hand last season, a sprained knee this year) as an explanation for his recent slide, which has included increasing problems in the field. Anderson graded out at -7 Defensive Runs Saved by Fangraphs last season, and thus far in ’23 is at -4.

Anderson ranked as the seventh best shortstop in the majors in 2021, receiving a 4.6 WAR from Fangraphs. But he wasn’t half as valuable last season and thus far in ’23 is playing at replacement level (0.0 fWAR).

The presence of Anderson made it easy for White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to sign off on the addition of veterans like Lance Lynn, Yasmani Grandal, Liam Hendriks, Craig Kimbrel and Andrew Benintendi. But an 81-81 finish in 2022 has been followed by a 29-38 start, suggesting it may be time for subtractions from the $181-million roster.

Anderson is in the first of two options years in his contract, earning $12.5 million this season. His 2024 option is for $14.5 million. He would be an attractive player in the upcoming trade market were he still a 3- or 4-WAR player — and might get a jolt if he went to the Dodgers or Braves — but at present seems more of an enigma than a movable part.

The White Sox will more than likely hang onto Anderson, as top prospect Colson Montgomery isn’t ready to replace him. Montgomery, a 2021 first-round pick from an Indiana high school, reached Double-A in his first full season as a pro but has been sidelined by oblique and back issues this season.

Anderson has historically been more productive in the second half of the season than the first, with August and September his two best months. The White Sox hope there are better days ahead. If not, they will face a tough choice when it’s time to commit to their shortstop for another season.