The Chicago White Sox are a mess. After winning 93 games and winning the AL Central in 2021, they entered last season as a trendy pick to win the World Series. Instead, they went 81-81, their preseason expectations torpedoed by injuries, bad chemistry and even worse managing. But now, even with Tony La Russa banished from the clubhouse, the White Sox are 13-24 and seem to plumb new lows each game. It’s dark stuff. All the good vibes from 2021 are long gone; the team’s core has run its course. At this point, the only sensible move for the White Sox is to strip-mine the expensive veterans and sell them for parts at the Trade Deadline in July to rebuild around Luis Robert. As such, shortstop Tim Anderson, the face of the franchise, no longer aligns with the White Sox’s timeline. Here’s why the White Sox must trade Tim Anderson.  

 

1. Tim Anderson’s contract is expiring

Pending the White Sox’s decision on his team option, Tim Anderson could be a free agent as soon as this winter. While Anderson has spent his whole career with the White Sox, it’s hard to imagine a world where he re-ups with the White Sox. Turning 30 in June, Anderson no longer has the luxury of waiting around and twiddling his thumbs until the White Sox can compete again; his next deal will be his last shot at securing major money and it would make no sense for a rebuilding White Sox team to commit that much cash to an aging shortstop.

Rather than risk letting Anderson leave for nothing in free agency, the White Sox should pawn him off to an aspiring contender this year. For a contender, a Tim Anderson trade is essentially a no-risk proposition—either you have a top tier starting shortstop on a cheap contract for the next year and a half, or you can decline his option this offseason and easily move on if he underperforms.

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No matter how hard it is to not get romantic about baseball, MLB front offices evince the same exsanguinated math-based logic as any financial operation in the country. Anderson is a valuable asset; the White Sox would be fools to not cash in on him.