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.