The White Sox could be getting closer to a temporary replacement for Tim Anderson
Yesterday, Jon Heyman of the NY Post reported that, though nothing is official yet, the White Sox are a likely landing spot for the recently-released Elvis Andrus.
As more rumors have swirled around the White Sox’s connection to Andrus, many fans have asked, “If he isn’t good enough for Oakland, why would the White Sox want him?” The reason has to do with his previous contract structure with the Athletics. Had he stayed with the Athletics, Andrus had a player option for next year for $15M if he hit 550 PA this season. The Athletics simply did not want to take the financial risk that he would hit that mark, and instead released him. The White Sox – or any team that signs him – would only be responsible for a league-minimum salary.
This year, Andrus is batting .237/.301/.373 with eight home runs and 30 RBI. Throughout his career, he has best been known for his defense, posting +6 Outs Above Average (OAA) as recently as 2021. This season, he is at an even +/- 0 OAA on the year.
With Tim Anderson out for likely the rest of the regular season and Leury Garcia heading to the IL yesterday, the White Sox are in a position where they are relying on Lenyn Sosa and Romy Gonzalez in the middle infield. The team would love to add a veteran presence to that mix to help that plug the hole.
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Second base is without a reliable player, if the shortstop position is filled, than I believe Gonzalez has a future at that position. He seems to be all business when he is playing, maybe that will spread to the rest of the team.