MLB insider Jon Morosi believes that San Fransico Giants, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays are all potential suitors for Tim Anderson.
Tim Anderson is one of the most fascinating trade candidates on the market. His resume speaks for itself. A two-time All-Star and former batting champion is someone that any contender would love to add at the deadline. Especially since he has another year of control with a team option worth $14 million. You will be hard-pressed to find a shortstop as talented as Anderson for less than $14 million in free agency.
Anderson has struggled this year to the tune of a .241 batting average and .564 OPS which is on pace for his worse season since 2018. However, since the All-Star break, Anderson has seemingly refound his form. Anderson has a .871 OPS since the break which has suddenly increased his trade value. In his last seven games, he is slashing .414/.485/.483 with four RBIs and three walks.
Multiple teams have shown interest in Anderson but there were reports that some front offices wanted to see if he could refind his swing before making a push to acquire him. Anderson also improved his trade value with his performance at second base during the World Baseball Classic. That gives teams who already have a shortstop more flexibility to move Anderson around the middle infield and expands the market for his services.
San Fransico Giants
The Giants are just four games back in the NL West Standing and are holding onto the final Wild Card spot. This offseason they showed that they were not afraid to spend big taking big swings at Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. If they were to trade for Anderson they may try to extend him. The Giants entered the season with the 15th-ranked farm system and two top-100 prospects.
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners have been disappointed this season. They are playing .500 baseball after coming into the season with lofty expectations. Given the talent on their roster, they may try to swing a trade for Anderson because even if they do not make the playoff this year they can load up for next season. Second base has been a bit of a weak spot for the Mariners and it seems unlikely that they would move off of J.P Crawford at shortstop after signing him to a five-year extension in 2022.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are another team who may be more interested in Anderson as a second baseman. They already have a star shortstop in Bo Bichette, who is batting .307 with 16 home runs and a .818 OPS this season. The Blue Jays are in third place in the AL East standing but in the thick of the Wild Card contention holding a 2.5-game lead over the Boston Red Sox for the final playoff spot. They have the talent to make a run if they can clinch a postseason berth, which is why bolstering their lineup with Anderson makes sense for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays entered the season with only one top-100 prospect but they know how to develop and have plenty of names the White Sox may be interested in such as Ricky Tiedemann, Brandon Barriera, Yosver Zulueta, or Orelvis Martinez.
