The Miami Marlins have made a late free-agent addition, signing shortstop Tim Anderson to a 1-year deal agreed to Thursday, sources confirm to Yahoo Sports. The deal is worth $5 million, with a $500,000 trade escalator. Miami’s interest in Anderson dates to last season, when the team inquired about him at the trade deadline.
Anderson, who spent his first eight MLB seasons with the Chicago White Sox, is looking for a bounce-back season to reset his value in 2024. The two-time All-Star is coming off the worst season of his career, in which he slashed .245/.286/.296 with one home run and an MLB-worst .582 OPS before the White Sox declined his option in November. He has also dealt with a variety of injuries the past two seasons, including to his right wrist, right shoulder and left knee.
Despite Anderson’s ’23 to forget, the move is a risk worth taking for a Marlins team looking for offensive impact and upside. Anderson is only 30 years old, and prior to last season, he had four consecutive seasons hitting over .300, including three with an OPS above .800. In that time, he made two All-Star appearances and won a Silver Slugger Award and the 2019 AL batting title.
Miami could be the change of scenery the speedy shortstop needs to reignite his career, and the team could give Anderson an opportunity to compete for a playoff spot after he was part of winning seasons in just two of his years in Chicago. The Marlins reached the postseason for the fourth time in franchise history last season before falling to the Phillies in the wild-card round. They’ve had instability at shortstop since the departure of Miguel Rojas, so Anderson fills a positional need.