Update: Chicago has confirmed that is has declined Tim Anderson’s club option.
The #WhiteSox have declined the $14-million club option on shortstop Tim Anderson for the 2024 season ($1-million buyout). pic.twitter.com/11i0nootCD
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) November 4, 2023
The Chicago White Sox have declined their $14 million club option on shortstop Tim Anderson, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The veteran will receive a $1 million buyout and is now an unrestricted free agent heading into the offseason.
Anderson’s eight-year run with the organization comes to an end on the heels of a a disappointing 2023 campaign where he batted .245 with just one home run and 25 RBI in 123 games. Internal turmoil plagued the White Sox throughout the season and it boiled over in August when Anderson was suspended for five games for his role in a bench-clearing brawl with Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez. It seemed that Anderson’s days in Chicago were numbered following that incident and the club has now opted to not bring him back.
Anderson broke out as a rising star in 2019, winning the American League batting title that season by batting .335. He made a huge impact for the team during the COVID-shortened 2020 season the following year, winning a Silver Slugger by batting .322 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI through 49 games. He’d earn All-Star nods the following two seasons before hitting a wall this year. At 30-years-old, he’ll now look for a fresh start elsewhere.