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Tim Anderson

White Sox To Decline Club Option On Tim Anderson

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The White Sox will decline their $14MM club option on shortstop Tim Anderson, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (X link).  Anderson will instead receive a $1MM buyout, and become a free agent for the first time in his professional career.

The decision marks the end of an era on the South Side, as Anderson had been part of the organization since the White Sox made him the 17th overall pick of the 2013 draft.  Emerging as a regular through the club’s rebuilding years, Anderson made two All-Star Games, won a Silver Slugger Award (in 2020), and won the 2019 AL batting title during his eight seasons in a Sox uniform.

The White Sox recognized this potential early, and locked Anderson up on a six-year, $25MM extension prior to the 2017 season that contained club options for both 2023 and 2024.  Heading into the 2023 season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Anderson’s first option would be picked up, yet this parting of the ways underscores the disappointing nature of the shortstop’s year.

Anderson hit only .245/.286/.296 over 524 plate appearances, and his 60 wRC+ was the lowest of any qualified hitter in baseball.  Anderson missed about three weeks due to a left knee sprain early in the season, and said last month that he never quite felt right physically for the rest of the year, undoubtedly contributing to this major dropoff at the plate.  With his defensive metrics also taking a tumble, Anderson was a sub-replacement level player, with -0.5 fWAR in 2023 after posting 16.1 fWAR over the previous five seasons.

Despite this poor performance, the Marlins and some unknown other teams still had some interest in Anderson heading into the trade deadline, even if a deal was never completed.  It is fair to guess that Anderson would’ve been among the other White Sox veterans shipped at the deadline if he’d been playing at any sort of higher level, as it could be that the Sox couldn’t find an appropriate asking price and didn’t want to just give Anderson away.

Yet now, Anderson will hit the market with no strings attached, as the White Sox certainly aren’t going to issue a $20.325MM qualifying offer for a player they could’ve retained for an extra $13MM.  Though the Sox lost 101 games last season, owner Jerry Reinsdorf and new GM Chris Getz indicated that the Sox plan to compete rather than rebuild, and it could be argued that parting with Anderson is a step in that direction if the White Sox don’t think a rebound is possible.  It’s probably fair to guess that Chicago gauged the trade market again before making today’s decision, but even if clubs do see Anderson as a bounce-back candidate, the $13MM price point also wasn’t to their liking.

Anderson just turned 30 last June, so if he stays healthy, it wouldn’t be surprising if he indeed gets back to his old form in 2024.  This makes him an interesting option within a pretty thin middle infield market, especially since Anderson has indicated he is open to playing second base.  A position change could further boost Anderson’s value, as while his glovework at shortstop has been inconsistent, he might become a plus as a second baseman.

Colson Montgomery is the shortstop of the future in Chicago, yet since the top prospect has yet to play any Triple-A ball, it would be a very aggressive move for the White Sox to pencil him into their Opening Day plans.  We can’t rule out the scenario since we don’t yet know how Getz might operate as a GM, but the likelier option is for Montgomery to make his MLB debut at some point closer to midway through the 2024 season, at the earliest.

The White Sox already needed middle infield help due to their lack of depth at second base, and now a new shortstop can also be added to Getz’s offseason checklist.  Romy Gonzalez, Lenyn Sosa, and Zach Remillard could perhaps combine to handle one position until Montgomery is called up, yet some kind of veteran upgrade is absolutely needed for second base or shortstop, particularly if Chicago has any designs on competing.  In theory, the Sox could aim to acquire a player using the $13MM they probably had earmarked for Anderson, on a shorter-term deal.

Quick Hits: Olympics, Garcia, White Sox

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters ahead of the beginning of the World Series yesterday about a variety of topics. One point of discussion, as relayed by Evan Drellich of The Athletic, was the potential for major league players to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will take place in Los Angeles. Manfred referenced a push by Casey Wasserman, who acts as CEO of the Wasserman agency and chairman of the LA 2028 organization, making a push to include baseball in the Summer Olympics, which Manfred expressed his support for.

That said, while Manfred noted that the league “will continue to listen as to whether there’s some arrangement that could be worked out… to make it the best possible tournament,” he also cautioned that there are “challenges” that come with staging a tournament like the Olympics in the middle of the major league season, as the 2028 Olympics would be. Olympic baseball was opened to professional players in 2000, but MLB has blocked its players from participating in the games due to its overlap with the big league season, leading to rosters primarily filled by international and minor league players.

Many of the world’s best players not participating led to baseball being dropped from the games entirely in 2012, 2016, and 2024, though that could change if the league and the International Olympic Committee can work out a deal for major league players to participate in the games. It’s unclear how feasible such a deal could be, however, as Manfred explicitly clarified that even as he hopes to support the effort to bring baseball back to the Olympics, he “[is] not saying one word” about allowing big leaguers to partake in the tournament, at least at this point.

More notes from around the league…

  • Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia continued his postseason tear last night against the Diamondbacks, hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to win the game for Texas. Garcia’s heroics last night add to what has been an incredible postseason for the 30-year-old. Garcia has now slugged six homers total across five consecutive games with a long ball, bringing the ALCS MVP’s postseason slash line to an incredible .357/.400/.804 in 60 trips to the plate this October. Garcia, of course, was acquired from the Cardinals back in 2019 in exchange for cash considerations. Former Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels spoke with Rob Bradford on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast recently about acquiring Garcia, who noted that Garcia was only available to the club thanks to St. Louis’s considerable outfield depth at the time, credited assistant GM of player development and international scouting Ross Fenstermaker as a key person who vouched for Garcia’s talent within the organization. The acquisition has, of course, worked out wonderfully for Texas, who have Garcia under team control through the end of the 2026 campaign.
  • MLB.com’s Scott Merkin recently looked at the questions facing the White Sox this offseason, including the futures of Luis Robert Jr. and Tim Anderson. Merkin, who indicates the White Sox view the coming offseason as more of a short-term “retool” than a full-scale “rebuild,” suggests that Robert is “as close to untouchable” as any player on the roster this offseason in trade discussions. If Chicago indeed intends to avoid a rebuild, that’s sensible, given Robert’s immense talent and four remaining seasons of team control. Perhaps more surprisingly, Merkin suggests that the White Sox “probably aren’t giving up Anderson for nothing” when discussing the club’s upcoming team option decision on his services for 2024. In a poll earlier this month, 60% of MLBTR readers responded that the White Sox should decline Anderson’s option, though Merkin seems to suggest the club either trading him or simply retaining him headed into 2024 is the more likely outcome.

MLBTR Poll: Tim Anderson’s Club Option

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The 2023 was a brutal one for the White Sox, who entered the year with postseason aspirations but found themselves as one of the league’s biggest sellers come the trade deadline. The club ultimately lost 101 games in 2023, their second 100-loss campaign in six years. While the club is facing a host of problems, from a pitching staff stripped to the bone by midseason trades to reported clubhouse culture issues, perhaps the biggest reason for concern about the club’s fortunes going forward is the fall from grace of franchise shortstop Tim Anderson.

Since breaking out during the 2019 season, Anderson has been a face of the franchise on the south side of Chicago. From 2019-2021, the young shortstop slashed an excellent .322/.349/.495 (126 wRC+) in 295 games while approaching a 20/20 campaign in both full seasons of that stretch. He led all qualified hitters in batting average during that stretch while playing a solid shortstop, and was a key piece of what looked to be a sustainable White Sox core for the future.

Unfortunately, things started to come off the rails for both Chicago and Anderson himself in 2022. Anderson’s offense regressed somewhat as he slashed .301/.339/.395 (110 wRC+). While he posted a career-best strikeout rate of just 15.7%, that improved contact did not make up for Anderson’s power outage, as he posted a career-low .093 ISO, the 18th-lowest figure of all players with as many plate appearances as him that season. To make matters worse, Anderson was limited to just 79 games by two separate IL stints for groin and finger injuries. While Anderson struggled to stay on the field, the White Sox faltered in his absence, going just 81-81 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

After a downturn in performance for both club and player, both sides hoped for better days in 2023, but those days did not arrive. Amid the club’s worst season since their 106-loss campaign in 1970, Anderson had far and away the worst season of his career. The 30-year-old slashed a paltry .245/.286/.296 in 524 trips to the plate, a figure that’s 40% worse than league average by measure of wRC+. His wRC+, ISO, wOBA, and slugging percentage were all the worst in the majors among all qualified hitters, and his on-base percentage also ranked in the bottom five.

Anderson’s brutal season has caused plenty of speculation regarding his future in the White Sox organization. The club holds a $14MM club option on his services for the 2024 season with a $1MM buyout. While the $13MM decision once appeared to be a no-brainer for one of the league’s better regulars at a premium position, the future now appears anything but certain for Anderson and Chicago. New GM Chris Getz recently spoke about the upcoming decision on Anderson, indicating that the decision “deserves an exhaustive discussion” considering Anderson’s importance to the organization in recent years, though he offered no assurance that Anderson would return to the South Side next year.

Further complicating matters is the lack of quality shortstop options on the open market this season. If the club wishes to move on from Anderson, they’ll be hard-pressed to find a clear upgrade in free agency with Amed Rosario and Gio Urshela headlining the upcoming class. Of course, top prospect Colson Montgomery is figures to be the club’s shortstop of the future following a big season that saw him advance to Double-A late in the year. While Montgomery is certainly on the radar for a big league debut as soon as next year, it seems unlikely Chicago would be content to use him as the Opening Day shortstop next year after just 37 games at the Double-A level. Retaining Anderson certainly wouldn’t block Montgomery, as Anderson himself has expressed a willingness to move to second base going forward.

Ultimately, the upcoming option decision leaves the White Sox forced to choose between risking overpaying Anderson for another abysmal year of production in 2024 or risking him returning to form elsewhere when he could’ve been retained on a relative bargain compared to his typical production. How do MLBTR readers feel the White Sox should approach the upcoming decision on Anderson’s option? Have your say in the poll below.

(poll link for app users)

Tim Anderson Willing To Move To Second Base

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Not much went right on the South Side this year, including a miserable season for longtime shortstop Tim Anderson.  No qualified player in baseball finished with a lower wRC+ than Anderson’s total of 60, as he hit only .245/.286/.296 over 524 plate appearances — a stunning dropoff from player who’d posted a 123 wRC+ from 2019-22.

The timing couldn’t have been much worse for Anderson to have a down year, as 2023 was the last guaranteed season of the six-year, $25MM extension he signed back in March 2017.  The contract came with a pair of club option years, with the 2024 option worth $12.5MM (with a $1MM buyout).  That makes for a tricky decision for the White Sox, as paying an extra $11.5MM is steep for a player coming off a sub-replacement season.

“All I can do is understand whatever process it is and live with it,” Anderson told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin.  “It’s not my decision if I want to stay or leave.  I just have to hang with them.  I mean I would love to [stay], but I understand if I don’t fit into what they are trying to do.”

An early-season knee sprain resulted in three weeks on the injured list, and Anderson said “the body felt different each day” after he returned.  This partially explains his rough season, but heading into 2024, Anderson said he plans to be fully healthy and to sharpen all aspects of his game, both on offense and defense.  This might even include a new defensive position altogether, as Anderson admitted that it might be time for a move across the middle infield if necessary.

“Really, at this point, it doesn’t matter.  I’m a shortstop/second baseman,” Anderson said.  “It’s whatever to allow my career to keep going.  I’m not going to wrestle with a team that I’m this or I’m that.  It’s just an honor and a blessing to fit in any lineup as a starter considering how hard this game is.  Short would be my first choice, but I also understand how older guys are viewed, now that I’m stepping into that phase, which sucks and is different.  I just want to continue to keep building on what I started and get back to what I used to be.”

Public defensive metrics have been down on Anderson’s glovework for each of the last two seasons, so beyond adding positional versatility to his resume, it also might make more sense from a pure baseball perspective for Anderson to explore a move to second base.  The 30-year-old had exclusively played as a shortstop at the MLB level before this season, when he made two appearances at second base in order to help manage a minor shoulder issue.

Colson Montgomery is also a shortstop, as well as Chicago’s top prospect and ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 17th-best minor leaguer in the sport.  Montgomery hit well in his first taste of Double-A ball and should be in line to make his big league debut at some point in 2024, if all continues to go well for the 22nd overall pick of the 2021 draft.  If Montgomery might be the shortstop of the future, Anderson moving over to second base while still working as a mentor to the rookie would seem like an interesting possible scenario for the White Sox.  As well, it isn’t as if the Sox are deep in second-base options, as Chicago second baseman combined for a -0-4 bWAR in 2023.

Anderson and new White Sox GM Chris Getz spoke earlier this week, and while Anderson didn’t get into specifics about their conversation, “his ultimate goal is really trying to fix what’s going on here.  And I get that.”  Speaking with reporters prior to talking with Anderson this week, Getz said no decision had yet been made about the infielder’s club option, since the topic “deserves an exhaustive discussion because of what he has meant to this organization.”

White Sox GM Chris Getz Discusses Tim Anderson’s Future

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It’s been a rough year for Tim Anderson. After back-to-back All-Star campaigns in 2021 and ’22, the shortstop has floundered at the plate in 2023, slashing a meager .248/.290/.300 with just a single home run. By wRC+, he has been the second-worst qualified hitter in baseball, trailing only Javier Báez. Moreover, unlike Báez, Anderson is hardly an elite defensive shortstop. He has made 14 errors this year, accumulating -4 Outs Above Average and -16 Defensive Runs Saved.

The 30-year-old has a $14MM team option on his contract for 2024, and prior to this season, it seemed like a no-brainer the White Sox would exercise the option. Now, however, new general manager Chris Getz has a big decision ahead of him.

According to Getz, Anderson’s option “deserves an exhaustive discussion because of what he has meant to this organization,” reports Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Indeed, the shortstop has done tremendous work for Chicago since his debut in 2016. Selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 2013 draft, he has played nearly 900 games for the big league club across eight seasons in the majors. He led the Sox to a Wild Card berth in 2020 and a division title in 2021.

Furthermore, this decision isn’t just difficult because of what Anderson has done in the past but because of what he can do in the future. A $14MM price tag is a lot to pay for one of the worst hitters in baseball, but if Anderson can return to anything resembling his All-Star form, that same salary will be a steal. If the White Sox choose to exercise the option, the worst that can happen is they end up eating a few million dollars. In the best-case scenario, however, they could have a star shortstop for a fraction of what he’d cost on the open market.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise the White Sox are considering numerous possibilities to keep Anderson on the roster next season. Getz mentioned that the 2019 AL batting champion has the skills to play “a lot of different positions,” although he stopped short of saying the team would ask the shortstop to move off of his long-time position. Instead, the executive re-emphasized that he and other members of the organization would be meeting with Anderson to discuss his future. Presumably, that will include a conversation about where he’ll play on the diamond.

In other White Sox news, new assistant GM Josh Barfield addressed members of the media on Wednesday (including Vinnie Duber of CHGO Sports). Barfield will have various duties in his new role, including involvement with roster construction and player acquisition, so it stands to reason he’ll also be involved in conversations about Anderson’s future.

Tim Anderson’s Suspension Reduced To Five Games

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White Sox infielder Tim Anderson’s six-game suspension has been reduced to five games, per a league announcement. He was going to appeal but reached a settlement with the league, eliminating the need for a hearing. He’ll begin serving his suspension tomorrow. José Ramírez of the Guardians had his three-game suspension reduces to two games, which he served this past weekend.

Both suspensions stemmed from the same incident. In the August 5 game between the Sox and Guards, Ramírez slid into second base and took umbrage with the way Anderson attempted to tag him out. “He tagged me really hard, more than needed, and his reaction was like, ‘I want to fight,'” Ramirez said, per Mike Brehm of USA Today. “And if he wants to fight, I wanted to defend myself.”

The two came to blows, with Ramirez knocking Anderson to the ground as the benches cleared. That led to the aforementioned suspensions for Anderson and Ramírez, as well as one-game suspensions for Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, manager Terry Francona, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh and White Sox skipper Pedro Grifol. Guardians infielder Gabriel Arias and White Sox righty Michael Kopech were also each fined an undisclosed amount.

The news won’t have a significant short-term impact on the Sox, who are well out of contention. They will have a decision to make on Anderson this winter, as they have a $14MM option for his services next year that comes with a $1MM buyout. He’s hitting a dismal .238/.285/.284 this year for a 58 wRC+ and with poor defensive grades to boot. But he hit .318/.347/.473 over the previous four seasons for a 123 wRC+, stealing 53 bases and producing 13.6 fWAR.

Elvis Andrus will likely cover shortstop for the next few days, moving over from second. Zach Remillard figures to jump into the second base job for that stretch. The Sox don’t have another obvious middle infield candidate on the active roster, so they may have to make a move before tomorrow’s game so that they at least have a bench option. Lenyn Sosa is on the 40-man roster and could perhaps be recalled, though a corresponding move would be required. Players suspended for on-field infractions continue to occupy a roster spot, so the Sox will have to play with a 25-man active roster until Anderson’s suspension is complete.

MLB Issues Suspensions Following Guardians/White Sox Brawl

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Per a league press release, Major League Baseball has suspended White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson for six games and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez for three games following the benches-clearing brawl between the two teams over the weekend. The league also announced one-game suspensions for Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, manager Terry Francona and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh. White Sox skipper Pedro Grifol was also suspended for one game. Guardians infielder Gabriel Arias and White Sox righty Michael Kopech were both fined an undisclosed amount.

Anderson and Ramirez are both appealing their suspensions, which will be held in abeyance until the appeals process has been completed. Clase will serve his suspension tonight, as will both managers. Sarbaugh will serve his suspension tomorrow.

The suspensions stem from a Saturday altercation on a slide at second base. Ramirez dove headfirst into the bag and felt Anderson applied a tag attempt to the head with too much force. Ramirez claimed after the game that his issues with Anderson predate Saturday’s contest, and he also alleged that Anderson was the aggressor and instigator of the fight (link via The Athletic). Anderson has not yet commented publicly.

White Sox Not Trading Dylan Cease

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5:01pm: The MLB trade deadline has passed, and the White Sox did not trade Cease, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

1:26pm: The White Sox are taking offers on everyone on the roster aside from star center fielder Luis Robert, reports Bruce Levine of 670 The Score (on Twitter). Most notably, that includes 2022 Cy Young runner-up Dylan Cease.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweets the asking price was high enough that rival teams feel he’s unlikely to move. Nevertheless, The Post’s Joel Sherman indicates the Sox are “more serious” than they had been about the possibility.

Certainly, there’s no guarantee the White Sox will make a deal. They’d need to be blown away by the package of young talent to do so. Yet it seems they’re at least more open to the idea than they had been, and that they consider Robert on a different level of unattainability than they do Cease.

Cease hasn’t been as dominant as he was last season. His ERA has jumped nearly two runs, up from 2.20 to 4.15 across 119 1/3 innings. There’s been a slight dip in the underlying performance, though it’s not as dramatic as the ERA differential would indicate. Cease’s strikeout rate has decreased from 30.4% to 27.6%, while his swinging strikes have fallen from 15% to 13.6%. Both latter marks are still well above-average, though.

The biggest factor in Cease’s more middling ERA is simply a change in ball-in-play results. Last year’s .260 opponents’ BABIP always looked unlikely to maintain, though this year’s .320 mark probably represents an overcorrection. Cease issues a few more walks than ideal, but he’s capable of missing bats at a rate matched by few other starters and is at least a high-quality #2 arm.

With multiple years of control, Chicago’s asking price should be astronomical. Cease is playing this year on a $5.7MM salary, around $1.87MM of which is yet to be paid out. He’ll be due a pair of arbitration raises before getting to free agency after the 2025 campaign.

Chicago is clearly in sell mode, though their moves to date have mostly been on players with limited control windows. Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly all seemed likely to hit free agency after this season. Kendall Graveman was under contract for another year, but he’s a setup reliever having a fine but not overwhelming season. Moving Cease would deal a far greater hit to their chances of reversing their fortunes in 2024, though it stands to reason they’d look for upper minors or controllable MLB talent in those discussions.

Other Chicago players seem far likelier to go. Middle reliever Keynan Middleton is an impending free agent who’ll almost certainly move. The club holds a $14MM option on shortstop Tim Anderson, who is having a very poor season. Anderson has hit well over the last two weeks but still holds a .245/.286/.293 batting line in 357 plate appearances overall. That could leave the Sox with a borderline decision on the option and/or a tough call whether to part with him this afternoon. Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports tweets that the Sox have discussed Anderson with multiple teams; the Marlins were loosely linked to the two-time All-Star in a report from ESPN’s Jesse Rogers last week.

Marlins Have Shown Interest In Tim Anderson

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The Marlins are among the teams looking into White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The two-time All-Star is in the midst of a down season but could be viewed by some clubs as a buy-low, change of scenery candidate.

That’d be the hope in Miami, where the team’s in-house options at shortstop have also underwhelmed. Marlins shortstops are hitting .258/.301/.335 on the season, with Joey Wendle, Jon Berti, Garrett Hampson and Jacob Amaya all having appeared at the position. Anderson’s .245/.285/.285 line is even worse than that, though he’s hitting .378/.440/.422 since the All-Star Game and .300/.345/.350 overall this month. Beyond that, Anderson has a lengthy track record of excellence at the plate; from 2019-22, he batted .318/.347/.473, leading all qualified hitters in batting average during that time.

Anderson would be a pricey addition by the Marlins’ standards. He’s being paid $12.5MM this season and has a $14MM club option for the 2024 campaign (though a $1MM buyout makes it a net $13MM decision for the team). He’s still owed about $4.5MM of this year’s salary between now and season’s end, plus at least the $1MM option buyout.

Looking ahead to the 2024 season, Miami only has about $38MM on the books — assuming slugger Jorge Soler opts out of the remaining one year and $9MM on his contract. That’s before they pick up a $3.5MM option on Berti and before considering raises for notable arbitration-eligible players. Luis Arraez, Jesus Luzardo, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Tanner Scott, Trevor Rogers and A.J. Puk are among Miami’s arb-eligibles; Arraez, Scott and Luzardo, in particular, will be due notable raises from their respective $6.1MM, $2.825MM and $2.45MM salaries for the 2023 season. Penciling in a $14MM salary for Anderson from the jump would put Miami on track to run a $100MM+ payroll for just the third time in franchise history.

At this stage it’s far from a given that Anderson will end up in Miami — or even that he’ll change hands at all. The White Sox aren’t looking to tear the roster down and embark on another lengthy rebuild but rather are looking to retool to take another shot at contending in 2024. Anderson could well be a part of that, and a big second half would quickly restore the notion that his option is an easy call to exercise. As it stands, it’s a far closer call than anyone would’ve reasonably expected heading into the year.

That said, Chicago’s top prospect, 2021 first-rounder Colson Montgomery, has ripped through minor league pitching since returning from a monthslong stay on the injured list. Montgomery has scarcely played above the High-A level but figures to see ample time in Double-A later this summer. It’s possible he could be ready for a big league look at some point in 2024, and the Sox could always trade Anderson and then sign/acquire a low-cost veteran to bridge the gap to Montgomery this offseason.

The White Sox already traded Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels last night, and as of earlier this month they were reportedly willing to entertain offers on anyone other than the quartet of Dylan Cease, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn. The Marlins, meanwhile, got into the trade game yesterday as well when they swapped Dylan Floro for Jorge Lopez in an exchange of struggling relievers.

Where Could The Giants Turn For Middle Infield Help?

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The Giants lost second baseman Thairo Estrada for over a month when he fractured his left hand on a hit-by-pitch two Sundays back. San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters last week that Estrada’s injury could affect the team’s deadline outlook.

“We’ve got to at least evaluate what we have in the middle infield,” Zaid said on Friday. “Kind of just keep an eye on the market and see if there’s someone that can be impactful there and weigh that against continuing to give opportunities to Casey [Schmitt] and Brett [Wisely].”

With Zaidi and his staff examining things, let’s take a look at some potential options. The middle infield market is light on apparent trade candidates. Most of the available short-term solutions are having average or worse seasons. Perhaps a longer-shot name comes available (we’ll take a look at a few potential options at the back of the list), but the likely scenario is that San Francisco sifts through stopgap types.

  • Paul DeJong ($9MM salary, controllable through 2025 via club options)

A quality everyday shortstop early in his career, DeJong fell off at the plate by 2021. He combined to hit .182/.269/.352 between 2021-22. The Cards optioned him to Triple-A last summer. He’s rebounded somewhat in 2023, putting together a .231/.302/.434 line with 12 home runs in 245 trips to the plate. Paired with his customary above-average defense, he reclaimed the primary shortstop job in St. Louis.

DeJong’s profile isn’t without flaws. He’s striking out in more than 30% of his plate appearances. His production has been very platoon-dependent. The right-handed hitter is mashing southpaws at a .269/.381/.500 clip but reaching base at a meager .275 rate against righty pitching. He could step in as a short-term replacement for the righty-swinging Estrada at second base while potentially taking a few at-bats against lefty pitching from Brandon Crawford at shortstop later in the year.

MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald recently explored the White Sox’s dilemma regarding Anderson. He’s an All-Star caliber shortstop at his best — a threat to hit over .300 with double-digit homers and steals. That player hasn’t shown up in 2023. Anderson has been among the worst regulars in the sport, hitting .223/.259/.263 without a single round-tripper.

Where does that leave Chicago? They’re 16 games under .500 and preparing to move short-term players. Trading Anderson now would be an obvious sell-low, but this could be their last chance to get a return at all. A $14MM club option that looked like a no-brainer a few months ago is now more borderline. If the Sox are leaning towards buying Anderson out next winter, then a trade would be advisable. He only has two MLB starts at a position other than shortstop but would presumably have to move to second base if San Francisco were interested in buying low.

Biggio and Espinal have been pushed out of the everyday lineup in Toronto. Whit Merrifield has taken over as the primary second baseman. Biggio is bouncing between right field and the keystone. Espinal is covering multiple infield spots off the bench.

Neither player is hitting well this season, though they’ve both shown better in the past. Biggio was an above-average bat from 2019-20 thanks to huge walk totals. Espinal was an All-Star a season ago and combines defensive versatility with plus contact skills. The Jays don’t have to move either but could find one of them expendable, particularly if they can bring back immediate pitching help in a trade.

Like Toronto, Baltimore enters deadline season as a buyer. The O’s have plenty of infield depth, however, so they could consider ways to deal from that surplus to address the pitching staff. Urías, 29, established himself as a regular last year when he hit 16 home runs while playing Gold Glove defense at third base. He’s hitting .261/.328/.396 with only four homers in 229 trips to the plate this season. He can play either second or third base and will reach arbitration for the first time next winter.

Frazier’s only two years older than Urías but much further along in his career. The former All-Star is actually Baltimore’s highest-paid position player at $8MM. He’s a bottom-of-the-lineup second baseman hitting .232/.299/.397 with 10 homers over 297 trips to the plate. The recent promotion of top prospect Jordan Westburg to join Gunnar Henderson in the everyday infield leaves fewer at-bats for the likes of Urías, Frazier and Jorge Mateo.

  • Nicky Lopez ($3.7MM salary, arbitration-eligible through 2025)

Lopez is a light-hitting defensive specialist who can cover either middle infield spot. He’s a career .249/.312/.319 hitter in just more than 1800 plate appearances. Lopez is tough to strike out but has bottom-of-the-scale power and hasn’t homered since 2021. Public metrics consider him an above-average defender throughout the infield. He’s controllable for two additional seasons, but a last place Kansas City team could put him on the market this summer.

  • Tony Kemp ($3.725MM salary, impending free agent)

Kemp is a clear trade candidate as a rental on a terrible A’s team. If Oakland can find any interest this summer, they’ll move him. A left-handed hitter, Kemp has only hit .197/.286/.283 on the season. He’s played fairly well of late after a dreadful first couple months, though. Going back to the start of June, the veteran has a .272/.359/.407 line with eight walks and only six strikeouts in 94 plate appearances. It wouldn’t be the most exciting acquisition, but Kemp could be a short-term option if the Giants want a stopgap until Estrada returns without sacrificing any notable prospect talent.

Longer Shots

Torres is one of the few Yankees’ hitters with slightly above-average offensive numbers on the year. The right-handed hitting second baseman owns a .251/.325/.413 line with 13 homers over 375 trips to the dish. Torres has strong strikeout and walk numbers but modest batted ball marks. He has rated as an average defensive second baseman by measure of both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast.

New York is a game back in the AL Wild Card picture. They’re likely to look for ways to upgrade the offense in the next few weeks. A Torres trade isn’t especially likely, but it’s not inconceivable. Oswald Peraza is in Triple-A and could soon be an option to step in at second base on a regular basis. The Yankees have short-term questions at third base and in the corner outfield.

The organization is also right up against the fourth luxury tax line at $293MM. They were reportedly reluctant to cross that threshold over the offseason; owner Hal Steinbrenner suggested a few weeks ago it wasn’t a firm cap but implied the team would want an impactful acquisition to go over that mark. Reallocating a few million dollars in a Torres trade could clear some flexibility for a subsequent acquisition.

The Cardinals would have to be blown away to part with either Gorman or Donovan. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak conceded yesterday the club would probably part with short-term assets. Gorman and Donovan have the chance to be core players for years to come.

Trading DeJong is the more straightforward path for St. Louis. They have enough infield depth it’s theoretically possible another club could sway them on Gorman, Donovan or Tommy Edman — likely by dangling high-upside young pitching. That’s probably beyond what San Francisco has in mind.

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