Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson will close out his career-worst season on Sunday with a game against the San Diego Padres. Anderson enters with a .245/.287/.297 slash line (60 OPS+) and minus-2.1 WAR. Both marks are, far and away, the poorest he's posted as a big-league player.
Sunday could mark the end for Anderson in a few other ways. Most notably, it could serve as his final game as a member of the White Sox organization, and perhaps as a starting shortstop. The White Sox haven't yet announced their intention on the $14 million club option they hold on his services next year. Even if Anderson does return, it's possible the White Sox ask him to move to second base to accommodate top prospect Colson Montgomery's arrival.
Anderson, for his part, seems open to changing positions if needed.
"Really, at this point, it doesn't matter," Anderson told MLB.com's Scott Merkin on Saturday. "I'm a shortstop/second baseman. 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."
Anderson, 30, has played shortstop in 884 of his 886 games at a defensive position. He manned second base in the other two contests, both of which took place this year. Of course, it's not a given that he will change positions -- even if he ends up changing teams. CBS Sports ranked Anderson as the 22nd-best free agent in the class with the assumption that he would have his option declined and become arguably the top shortstop available this winter:
Last spring, Anderson was identified by rival talent evaluators as the summer's top potential shortstop trade candidate. Alas, other teams had cooled on him by the time the deadline rolled around. He stayed with the White Sox and kept hitting everything into the ground while showing reduced speed. (We'll note that didn't stop him from grading as a plus baserunner statistically.) Anderson's power has evaporated over the last two seasons, and he could hit only fastballs in 2023. Factor in his glove work, and he's going to need to return to form offensively to keep getting starting assignments. The free-agent shortstop market is brutal, and we could see teams writing off Anderson's season as being compromised by injuries.
Anderson is a two-time All-Star who entered Sunday with a career 99 OPS+.
