White Sox News: Tim Anderson becomes a free agent
After a season that seemed to mark the end of the relationship between shortstop Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox, the White Sox provided official confirmation of that fact on Saturday afternoon.
Anderson had a $14MM club option for the 2024 season and the White Sox have decided to decline the option thus ending Anderson’s time with the team.
Breaking: The White Sox are declining the option on shortstop Tim Anderson. He’s a free agent.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 4, 2023
For as much as $14MM would have been a reasonable cost for the White Sox to pay with the hope of having Anderson bounce back in 2024, it had become clear that each side needed a clean break from the other.
Tim Anderson’s time with the Chicago White Sox has come to an end after the team declined his $14MM option for the 2024 season.
The 2023 season was one to forget for Anderson as there were off-the-field concerns that may or may not have played a factor in his struggles on the field. The season also included reports of Anderson having clubhouse confrontations with catcher Yasmani Grandal while also receiving a suspension from Major League Baseball for a brawl with Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardian.
In more ways than one, it was a season to forget for Anderson. Anderson was among the worst qualified hitters in all of Major League Baseball last season with a slash line of .245/.286/.296 with a wRC+ of 60.
On a larger scale, Anderson’s departure from the White Sox all but indicates the team’s new front office, led by Chris Getz, separating themselves from the core that failed in the middle of the contention window.
Anderson was the face of the new direction for the White Sox as they began their ascension in 2020 and his efforts in MLB’s inaugural Field of Dreams game in 2021 had him on the path toward becoming one of the faces of Major League Baseball. What followed was a quick descent into mediocrity for Anderson with fans left wondering what could have been.
It has been a busy 24 hours for the White Sox. Anderson’s departure from the team comes a day after pitchers Liam Hendricks and Mike Clevinger’s options for the 2024 season were not exercised either.
Next. Whit Merrifield is officially a free agent. dark