Should the Mariners trade for Tim Anderson?

If the Mariners plan on nabbing one of those 3 Wild Card spots in 2023, they are going to need help offensively. Look no further than second base. The Mariners rank 27th in baseball in second base WAR at -1.2. Kolten Wong, Jose Caballero (although Cabby has been good), and Dylan Moore are not getting the job done. Insert today's trade target: Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox.

Now i know what you are thinking. Yes, Tim is a shortstop by trade. He is having the worst season of his career. To that I say, so are a lot of the White Sox players. Lance Lynn is rocking a 6.03 ERA through 18 starts. Their bullpen ranks 27th in WAR this year. The team has a record of 38-54 as of the All-Star break.

Yes, Tim is having a down season. His slash line of .223/.259/.263/.521 is awful. He has a WAR of -1.7. But he has been super productive over his career. We all know how toxic the White Sox have seemed to be over the last few seasons. The expectations of the White Sox were sky high, and they never even came close to hitting those expectations.

Anderson's career slash line is .282/.312/.428/.740. He won the batting title in 2019, and he is a 2X All-Star. Before this year, he has had 4 consecutive seasons hitting over .300. TA is a star in this game, and i truly think a change of scenery is the magic ticket to getting his season turned around. Just imagine the double plays made by TA and JP.

According to Spotrac, Tim Anderson is owed $12,500,000 this year, with a club option for 2024 at $14,000,000. What the Mariners would have to send the White Sox might not be as big of a haul as you would expect. Keep in mind if TA does not pan out, the Mariners can get out of owing him anything in 2024.

Proposal:

CWS Sends: Tim Anderson, Kendall Graveman
SEA Sends: Kolten Wong, Juan Then, Axel Sanchez

In this scenario, the Mariners would be taking all of the money owed to Anderson and our old friend Kendall Graveman. Graveman is signed through 2024 at $8,000,000. The White Sox take back Wong, who is a free agent after this season. Wong is making $10,000,00 this year.

The White Sox, in doing this, get to remove a face of the franchise player without the decision of keeping him on a rebuilding team, or just outright releasing him after 2023. They also get out of owing Graveman $8,000,000. Wong costs them nothing past this season, and they gain the lottery tickets of Sanchez and Then.

Juan Then, 23, made his Major League debut earlier this year. According to MLB Pipeline, he is still the 22nd ranked prospect in the Mariners system. While he is struggling in the PCL, he could be a depth option for the White Sox going forward. Axel Sanchez, 20, is the Mariners 14th ranked prospect. A shortstop, he is currently playing in High A Everett. His 2022 season was better than his 2023, but it is still really early in his career.

The Mariners get the chance of a franchise altering second baseman and a high leverage reliever. Tim Anderson has only played 2 games at second base, both coming this year. He is an athlete, i think he can handle the position switch. Perry Hill is one of the best infield coaches in baseball. I honestly think this is a win/win for both teams. As always, Go Mariners!