Chicago White Sox Sign Tim Anderson to Extension
By Nick Fustor
The Chicago White Sox signed shortstop Tim Anderson to a six-year, $25 million contract extension, according to USA Today Sports and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
In an effort to shore up young talent as the team continues its rebuild, the Chicago White Sox extended shortstop Tim Anderson for six years and $25 million. The deal will officially be announced Tuesday afternoon.
Anderson’s deal is the most lucrative in baseball history for a player with under one year of service time in MLB. The previous record was held by Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays, who signed a contract with $20 million guaranteed. The White Sox can now control Anderson through his arbitration years and two years of free agency – and could have Anderson through his age 31 season.
First report of Anderson talks: @scottmerkin. Deal should beat Archer’s record $20M guarantee for player with less than one year service.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 21, 2017
MLB Trade Rumors noted that Anderson wouldn’t have been eligible to reach arbitration until 2020, and free agency until 2023.
In his debut season, Anderson hit .283 with a .738 OPS, nine home runs and stole 10 bases. He did have a strikeout rate of 27 percent, however, signaling that he’ll need to make marked improvements to his approach if he hopes to maintain his success in the big leagues.
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Strikeouts were always an issue for Anderson, 23, in the minor leagues – but he managed to cut down his strikeout percentage to 20 percent in 2015. In 99 games last season, it’s understandable that Anderson needed time to adjust to major league pitchers.
Anderson finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting last year, and could potentially be one of Chicago’s better players in years to come. While he may decline in offensive production this season while he figures things out at the plate, Anderson is a proven commodity on the field and could anchor the defense of Chicago’s infield.
Last season, Anderson managed a 10.9 UZR/150 with six defensive runs saved.
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In his second season in the big leagues, Anderson may begin to utilize his speed on the base paths a bit more. In 2015, he stole 49 bases in 125 games at Double-A, and previously stole 24 bases in 68 games at Single-A.