MLB Rumors: White Sox star screwing up team’s trade deadline plans

The Chicago White Sox could be sellers at the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline but they reportedly won’t get much value for one player in particular.

The Chicago White Sox are in the midst of another less-than-ideal season. Entering July 4, they are 37-49 on the year but remain just 6.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for first place in the division. That’s how poorly the division as a whole has been playing.

With the trade deadline approaching on Aug. 1, selling could be the appropriate course of action for the team. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote in a column on June 16 (subscription required) that the White Sox at that time told teams they were open to only trading players that were on expiring contracts and weren’t under team control for a lengthy period. For one of their big-name players that fit in that category, they may not be able to get that much in return for them.

In his latest column for USA Today, Bob Nightengale writes that White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson’s trade value has “plummeted,” as he’s in the midst of a rough season in the batter’s box.

MLB rumors: Tim Anderson’s trade value has ‘plummeted’

As Nightengale writes in his column linked above, Anderson has struggled this season, most notably in the batter’s box, as he still has yet to hit a home run.

Before the start of the season, Anderson played for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, and put up good numbers at the plate. In six games, Anderson recorded a .333 batting average, a .381 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, three runs scored, five RBI, and six hits.

To start the year, Anderson suffered a left knee sprain in Chicago’s Apr. 11 game against the Twins and would be sidelined until making his return in the team’s May 2 game against the Twins.

Through 61 games this year, Anderson is slashing .231/.270/.267 while recording 12 RBI, 26 runs scored, and 57 hits. Anderson has struck out 55 times and walked 14 times.

Anderson could potentially hit free agency at the end of the year, as the White Sox can exercise the team option in his contract worth $14 million for 2024. If the team opts against it, Anderson would become a free agent this upcoming winter. Given the lack of production at the plate thus far, the White Sox are in a predicament.