There has been a recurring statement on the Southside for the past few seasons: "The White Sox go as Tim Anderson goes." While in the past, it has rung true for the success of the White Sox, of late it has rung true for all the wrong reasons.
The White Sox, despite GM Rick Hahn's promise to end their stretch of being mired in mediocrity with a parade, find themselves in a quandary regarding Anderson's future.
Since his debut in 2016, Anderson has been a key figure as the team's shortstop, coinciding with the start of their "current rebuild". He is currently under contract until the end of this season, and while a club option for $14M could theoretically keep him at 35th/Shields for one more year in 2024, it remains to be seen if that will take place.
While Anderson has made the All-Star team in the previous two seasons, his chances for 2023 seem rather bleak. The 30-year-old shortstop has faced significant scrutiny for his struggles at the plate this season. In case you haven't seen the numbers lately, here's a look at them: Anderson is slashing .259/.299/.306 with a .605 OPS (the lowest of his Major League career).
Compounding the problem is a complete power outage. Anderson has yet to leave the yard this season, accumulating just nine extra-base hits over 204 plate appearances entering play on June 14th, all of them doubles.
The White Sox performance seems to mirror Anderson's struggles. Entering play on June 14th, they currently find themselves 10 games below .500 and 6.0 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, a division they were expected to dominate.
It has been written before on this website that if the White Sox are to climb out of their current hole and compete for a division title, Anderson will need to snap out of his current funk at the plate. However, as the MLB Trade Deadline nears and rumors begin to swirl, it's looking more likely that Anderson's chance of remaining with the team past the August 1st deadline is becoming slimmer by the day.
Just today, former manager and current White Sox pre and postgame host Ozzie Guillen appeared on the Mully & Haugh show and offered his thoughts on Anderson. You can listen to the full segment here; it's definitely worth a listen if you missed it.
“To me, this kid has got to change his scenario for his own good. I think this kid needs to go to another ball club, and he doesn’t have to be the man."
Anderson has also made some media rounds in recent days discussing the topic of his time with the White Sox.
“I understand the business,” Anderson said on The Pivot Podcast hosted by ESPN personality Ryan Clark. “If they want to keep me, then cool. If they don’t, then cool either way."
On the heels of Guillen's comments about Anderson's future with the team, Russel Dorsey of Bally Sports joined 670 The Score's Dan Berstein and Lawrence Holmes this afternoon and mentioned Anderson as a "hand-in-glove fit" for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Further adding to the speculation, Bob Nightengale graced the same Chicago airwaves just yesterday with comments on the White Sox season, saying that the team has "no choice but to break this thing up."
The question arises: Is a change of scenery on the horizon for Anderson? This possibility gains more traction as time passes.
The value the White Sox could obtain from trading Anderson remains to be seen. Considering his recent struggles at the plate and recent injury history, it is likely that Hahn would be selling Anderson low compared to any other point in the shortstop's career. However, the overall body of work suggests that Anderson is still very much capable of turning this around and being productive. It is also common for shortstops with Anderson's pedigree to fetch a pretty penny.
Despite the uncertainties surrounding a potential trade, Anderson will certainly be inquired about prior to the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline. Whether or not the White Sox find themselves in better or worse shape than they are currently will certainly weigh into the team's decision. However, the ultimate question will be, do the White Sox still want to go as Tim goes?
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