White Sox Rumors: Tim Anderson becomes a 2nd baseman in one of these 3 trade packages
The Chicago White Sox are all in on selling, it seems. All of the rumors surrounding them make it seem obvious that some good players are going to be moved.
One of those good players might be Tim Anderson. Of course, before this year, he was consistently one of the two best-position players on the team.
This 2023 season has been a struggle and now it seems as if he is going to be traded at the deadline. That is tough.
Anderson is a shortstop by nature but he showed he can play some second base at the World Baseball Classic. He wasn't going to play shortstop over Trea Turner but they wanted his bat in the lineup so he played second.
The Chicago White Sox could trade Tim Anderson at any point now.
Now, teams out there know he can at least be a halfway decent second baseman. It isn't like he is this elite shortstop anyway that needs to be kept at that position.
According to some reports earlier, Anderson could go to a team specifically needing him to play second base. That would obviously change things a bit for him.
He is a quality hitter but changing positions on defense on a regular basis is very difficult and a tough ask. If he made this decision to do that though, he'd have a chance to play meaningful baseball down the stretch. In most cases, he'd be able to play in the Major League Baseball postseason.
If Anderson is traded to a good team so he could play second base, the deal might look something like this:
Trade One
Trading Tim Anderson would be very difficult on the Chicago White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox are team that needs a lot of help in every area right now. One of those is the catcher position.
Yasmani Grandal is done after this season and Seby Zavala isn't going to take over as the number-one guy in the long-term.
Making a trade for someone like Harry Ford could help them figure out that long-term problem. As a catcher, he is the number one player in the Seattle Mariners farm system.
He is also the number 25 guy in all of baseball which means that teams think he is incredible. Getting a player like that for Tim Anderson should be a must. The White Sox should keep him if it is anything less than at least one A+ prospect.
Juan Pinto is a LHP that is currently ranked as the number 17 prospect in the system for Seattle. He doesn't have the greatest chance of making it one day but he also absolutely could.
Having someone like Pinto thrown into this trade is a good idea for the White Sox. If they could hit on a handful of prospects acquired that way, they'd be doing a good job.
Trade Two
Tim Anderson makes a ton of sense for the San Francisco Giants in 2023.
Tim Anderson would thrive with the San Francisco Giants. He brings an energy to a team that is having success which is always something the Giants have.
Even in their bad years, they are respectable. The White Sox could learn a lot from a franchise like that. They may want Tim Anderson as a second baseman and he'd be great.
Luis Matos and Carson Whisenhunt are the number three and number four prospect in the system of the Giants. Matos is an outfielder and Whisenhunt is a pitcher which are both positions the White Sox would systematically love to upgrade.
As for Eric Silva, he is the number 10 prospect in the system. Of prospects ranked 9 to 16, all of them are right-handed pitchers except one. That is why taking one (Eric Silva) is something the White Sox could do in a deal like this.
It is an embarrassment of riches for the Giants in that area so they might as well try to take advantage. A deal like this would certainly be interesting.
3. Trade Three
The Chicago White Sox should consider a big move with this AL team.
The Chicago White Sox have no obligation to trade Tim Anderson. It isn't like he is leaving for nothing if they don't decide to move him.
Do you want Tim Anderson? Come get him. The Chicago White Sox should not settle for a bad trade. Moving him just to move him is a franchise altering mistake.
Asking for a team's top two prospects should not be out of the realm of possibilities. That is what Ricky Tiedemann and Brandon Barriera are to the Blue Jays.
They are also both left-handed pitchers which is always a position of value when stocking up a farm system. The White Sox would be thrilled to add guys like that.
Otto Lopez is a throw-in as their number 14 guy but again, trying to sneak in players like that is a good idea because you just never know.
Throwing in a starting pitcher like Lance Lynn, who the Blue Jays could absolutely use this season, might make the deal more enticing for them.
The White Sox need to be very smart to make a Tim Anderson trade worth it. If they do the deed, it should be for a very nice return.