Tim Anderson: Blue Jays among interested teams
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The Blue Jays don’t have a bad baseball team. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s still a scary club.
Last night’s win over the Dodgers puts Toronto on the American’s best record in 50 games. We are talking about 30 wins and 20 losses.
What the Blue Jays lack, in particular, is timing. After all, when hitters go, relievers run out of gas — or vice versa.
All that to say that the Blue Jays, who are looking for a starter, a reliever and a stick, are among the teams that will be quite active on the sidelines of the August 1 deadline.
And when it comes to the slash, it looks like the Blue Jays already have a big target in their sights: Tim Anderson.
Jon Morosi reports that the Blue Jays would like to get their hands on the shortstop from the Chicago White Sox, whose chances of leaving within a week are good, according to reports.
Anderson may not be the most effective player defensively at shortstop, but be aware that teams who call mostly do so to move him to second base.
The Giants and Mariners could also be interested in the 30-year-old.
Anderson has played that position at the World Classic and in a few games this season in Chicago to help his sore shoulder.
Anderson is an experienced right-handed hitter. Having him at second base for the Blue Jays would be enough game changer.
That said, it’s a special nomination, considering the veteran is having a very, very ordinary season. He also has a character of his own.
We’ll say it like that.
But if the teams want him, it is mainly because he has always been good and since the star break, he dominates again.
But the fact remains that his OPS+ of 57 shows that he is half as good as an average MLB hitter. His WAR of -1.1 hurts… and he has no home run this season.
It is therefore a risky bet for the clubs that want it. That said, his batting approach is better these days and clubs seem ready to take a chance with him.
Let’s say he lands in Toronto. He wouldn’t necessarily play every day, but it would provide more than interesting depth – if he becomes the player he is.
Not only would this help in the middle of the infield, but it would provide an insurance policy should Bo Bichette suffer any misfortune.
It would cut playing time for Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal. And even if the latter has been better for a while, he is, in 2023, a bench player.
In effect, having Anderson at second base would change the dynamic of the entire club. It would make Whit Merrifield a guy who would play more in the field.
He could cut playing time for Daulton Varsho, who is really struggling to find his bearings these days. He could give rest to George Springer, who could go as DH a bit more.
Inevitably, Brandon Belt would suffer a bit.
It would change the whole dynamic of the club not only for 2023, but also for 2024. After all, Anderson has a (team) option for 2024 at $14 million.
So he wouldn’t be a hard-core rental player.
What that means is that if Matt Chapman leaves this winter and the Jays don’t want to activate their part of Whit Merrifield’s huge mutual option for 2024, Anderson would be there.
It’s still early to think about all that since Tim Anderson is still a member of the Chicago White Sox, but it’s part of the thinking.
And if he fails to live up to expectations or is angry about the congestion, the club would always have the choice not to bring him back in 2024.
I don’t know if the price to pick it up will be high. After all, he doesn’t have a big season, but he’s not to give away and if a few clubs are there, it will create a good market for his services.
File to follow, therefore.
- Chad Green in action tonight. He’ll help the Blue Jays bullpen when he’s healthy.
- Hyun-Jin Ryu will not pitch in Toronto this week.
- Mitch Keller to trade?
- Starting pitcher market: prices are high.
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