The Angels and former All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson are in agreement on a minor league contract, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He’ll be in camp with the Halos as a non-roster invitee this spring.
Anderson, still just 31 years old, experienced a precipitous decline at the plate in 2023. After posting an outstanding .318/.347/.473 batting line in the four prior seasons, the former AL batting champ, two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner posted an anemic .245/.286/.296 in a lost season with the the White Sox. That prompted the South Siders to decline what at one point looked to be a no-brainer $14MM club option for the 2024 season.
Anderson signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Marlins last winter, landing himself a starting job in hopes of a rebound campaign. Instead, his offense declined even further. In 65 games and 241 plate appearances with Miami, Anderson mustered only a .214/.237/.226 batting line while striking out in a career-worst 28.2% of his turns at the plate. Overall, he’s taken 765 plate appearances since Opening Day 2023 and connected on just one homer with a composite .235/.271/.274 output.
Given the suddenness and magnitude of Anderson’s surprising decline, it’s natural that he’s limited to a minor league deal this winter. He was widely considered a bat-first shortstop in his final seasons with the White Sox anyhow, and his decline in the box now mirrors the decline in the field he’d experienced from 2020-23.
With the Angels, Anderson isn’t likely to unseat 24-year-old Zach Neto — the Angels’ quietly emerging everyday shortstop. Neto, the No. 13 overall pick in 2022, has quality defensive tools and turned in a .249/.318/.443 batting line with 23 homers and 30 steals last year during his first full big league season. His breakout didn’t garner as much attention as it deserved, presumably due to a slow start and the Angels’ standing as one of the game’s worst teams last year.
Elsewhere in the infield, there could be other opportunity. Anthony Rendon has been injured more than he’s been healthy since signing with the Angels. If he heads back to the IL, second baseman Luis Rengifo could slide over to third base and open a spot for Anderson — if he earns that type of consideration with a decent spring training. Anderson himself could also get a look at third base. Kevin Newman and Scott Kingery are both on hand as utility options on the bench, though Kingery has minor league options remaining.
Anderson might face long odds of getting back to the majors and securing an everyday role in Anaheim, but there’s no risk in the Halos bringing him to camp to see if they can catch a glimpse of his prior All-Star form. If Anderson can indeed bounce back, he’ll be a bargain contributor on a team hoping to reverse course and get back into contention after yet another finish well below .500. If he can rebound and the team struggles as it’s tended to do in recent years, Anderson could be a summer trade chip. And, if he simply continues to look overmatched this spring, the Angels can cut him loose and won’t owe him anything.
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