Tim Anderson appears to be unhappy. On Thursday, he liked a Tweet from his account that read, "I've seen Frank Thomas wear a different uniform. I know TA will eventually as well." The Tweet has since been unliked, but it is easy to see where Anderson is coming from.
The Winter Meetings have come and gone. While teams broke out their checkbooks and stars collected massive contracts, the White Sox sat idly by.
The market for shortstops this offseason was the biggest focus. Xander Bogarts was the latest shortstop to get paid, cashing in on an 11-year deal worth $280 million with the San Diego Padres.
Tim Anderson must feel jealous of all these free-agent shortstops getting paid. He is under contract until 2023 with a club option in 2024 that will almost certainly get picked up. He will only cost the White Sox $12.5 million in 2023 and $14 million in 2024. Meanwhile, the value of player contracts has skyrocketed in recent years. The money handed out on average has far exceeded most projections.
Anderson is a two-time All-Star and former batting champion. At the age of 29, he is entering his prime. Once he hits the open market, he will almost certainly price his way out of Chicago.
He became the first player in White Sox history to finish in the top five of three consecutive AL batting title races. He has hit above .300 in four straight seasons, including an MLB-leading .335 average. In 2020 he was named a Silver Slugger Award-winning shortstop. The 2019 batting champion is coming off a down year that still saw him bat .301 in an injury-riddled season.
Don't expect any hometown discounts, either. It's no secret that the White Sox clubhouse was a mess last season. Tony La Russa and his staff failed to hold the player accountable, and as a result, things quickly fell apart.
Jose Abreu, the face of the franchise for nine seasons, left the Windy City for the Astros. During his introductory press conference in Houston, he said he was looking for more of a "family" environment. This was after he said that if the White Sox didn't sign him, he would "sign himself" the last time he was up for free agency.
All signs point to the White Sox not being a great environment for players. In July, Bob Nightengale dropped an intriguing nugget regarding the White Sox locker room chemistry in his weekly column.
The report read:
"No one has been more disappointing than the Chicago White Sox, who must take a good hard look at what went wrong if they miss the playoffs. There have been a lot of whispers of unrest, cliques, and the lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse tearing apart this talented team."
During an appearance on 670 The Scores, Parkins and Spiegel show Nightengale revealed that players on opposing teams had been asking White Sox players what was going on with the team. White Sox players told opponents that there were cliques and a lack of leadership in the clubhouse.
A video Tweeted out by the Chicago White Sox further supported this theory. The video was of the clubhouse learning that Tim Anderson was named an All-Star starter. The reaction was not a good look.
The players looked unenthusiastic when Joe McEwing broke the news. Nobody stood up; nobody cheered. A few half-hearted golf claps were the only sound that could be heard. Anderson himself was slumped in his chair and looked unimpressed.
Anderson said a few words, and someone yelled at him to "stand up." Anderson ignored the request and finished a dull speech.
If you watch the video with the volume down, you can't even tell it's a celebration. This was a very telling scene compared to the locker room reaction when Tim Anderson learned he had been named an All-Star reserve in 2021.
After Joe McEwing made the announcement, the locker room erupted in celebration, and multiple players jumped on Anderson in joy. Anderson was named a starter for the first time in his career this season. That is a tremendous honor. Last season he was not even guaranteed an at-bat.
Some of the locker room issues went public. During an appearance on ESPN 1000 with Waddle and Silvy, White Sox closer Liam Hendriks alluded to the fact that Dallas Keuchel was leaking reports to the media about the White Sox clubhouse.
Another move that came as a shock was AJ Pollock choosing to opt out of his player option. Many assumed that Pollock would take the $13 million, especially after coming off of a down year. Pollock batted .245 with 14 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .681 OPS in 138 games. There is no guarantee he will make more money in free agency. He spent three seasons in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, one of the best organizations in baseball, so coming to Chicago was probably a culture shock for him. When you take a step back, it is not a surprise he wanted to get out of town. The reasons for Pollocking opting out are pure speculation. But where there's smoke, there's fire.
It's no wonder Anderson is frustrated. Unfortunately for the White Sox, he will be considered one of the leaders in the clubhouse. Abreu is gone; it's his team now. Liking a tweet saying he is going to leave the White Sox is a tough look for the organization and a bad omen for next season.
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