Tim Anderson Makes Thoughts Clear on Future with White Sox

It was a good winter to be a free-agent shortstop. MLB teams committed nearly $1 billion to acquire players at the position, most of which went to four players specifically: Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson.

All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson wants a piece of that pie, but he also wants to stay with the Chicago White Sox.

Tim Anderson Contract

Anderson revealed at Spring Training on Wednesday that he'd like to sign a contract extension with the White Sox. which is the only team he's ever played for. Anderson has been with the organization for nearly a decade, dating back to when Chicago drafted him 17th overall in the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Anderson debuted with the White Sox and has since blossomed into one of the best shortstops in baseball. He won a batting title in 2019, received a Silver Slugger in 2020 and made back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2021 and 2022.

Now 29, Anderson is still under contract for two more seasons. Chicago has him on a $12.5 million club option for 2023 and will likely exercise its $14 million team option for 2024 as well. That means there's still plenty of time for both sides to work out a deal that would keep Anderson on the South Side for the foreseeable future.

Anderson made it clear that he's not going to take a hometown discount to stay with Chicago, however. He already did that with his first contract extension and wants to be paid market value, especially after seeing what his peers commanded in free agency this offseason. If he had been available this winter, he likely would have gotten a deal in the $200-$300 million range as well.

Time will tell if the two sides are able to reach an agreement before Anderson reaches the open market. As great as he's been for the White Sox, he's also had trouble staying healthy in recent seasons, averaging just 94 games over the past four years combined. He also turns 30 this summer, so Chicago may not want to commit big money to him at an age when players typically start declining.

Anderson is going to get paid sooner or later. The only question is whether the White Sox are going to be the ones writing the checks.