The Miami Marlins swapped relief pitchers with the Minnesota Twins yesterday, and now my trade idea from earlier in the season might become reality. The Fish are interested in Chicago White Sox SS Tim Anderson. Is acquiring Anderson a good idea for The Fish? What would he cost? Will that help the team make it to the playoffs this season?
The Miami Marlins are pursuing Chicago White Sox SS Tim Anderson.
The Fish have a weak position at SS. Joey Wendle is currently batting .258/.300/.361, with a home run and 11 RBI in 67 games and 194 AB. He's playing good defense (0.5 dWAR) and has a 0.6 WAR for the season. He's not bad, but wouldn't a player that was worth 4.7 WAR a few seasons ago be a major upgrade?
Tim Anderson has played his entire career with the Chicago White Sox. He was more OK then great from his debut in 2016 to 2018. He batted .258/.286/.411, with 46 home runs and 150 RBI in 398 games and 1564 AB during that time. 2019 saw Tim Anderson break out with a .335/.357/.508 batting line, with 18 home runs and 56 RBI in 123 games and 498 AB.
In the shortened 2020 season, Tim Anderson batted .322/.357/.529 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI in 49 games and 208 AB. Anderson was worth 4.2 WAR in 2019 and 2.3 WAR in 2020. In 2021, he batted .309/.338/.469 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI in 123 games and 527 AB. The star SS was worth 4.7 WAR for that performance.
In 2022, Tim Anderson batted .301/.339/.395 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI in 79 games and 332 AB. He missed most of the season due to a torn ligament in his left hand. This season saw Anderson spend a big part of the season on the IL due to a left knee sprain. He's currently batting .245/.285/.285, with no home runs and 18 RBI in 78 games and 319 AB. He's been worth a surprising -1.2 WAR so far.
Tim Anderson is seen as a "change of scenery" candidate, and is still owed $4.5 million for the rest of the season. He's a free agent at the end of the season, and has a $14 million club option for the 2024 season. It doesn't seem that he'll be worth much to acquire, so the Miami Marlins could potentially get him for a bargain price.