Chicago White Sox

White Sox Sign Tim Anderson to Record Deal: Report

The six-year contract is the most lucrative ever given to a player with just one year of MLB service time

On Monday it was reported that the Chicago White Sox were talking contract extension with infielder Tim Anderson, and Tuesday Sox fans were greeted with even better news.

According to a report by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the White Sox have agreed to a six-year contract with Anderson, worth a reported $25 million.

If those numbers are accurate, it is the most lucrative contract ever given to a player with only one year of Major League service time.

Anderson, who made his MLB debut in 2016, hit nine home runs and drove in 30 RBI for the White Sox and quickly established himself as one of the team’s cornerstone pieces. Along with newly acquired second baseman Yoan Moncada, Anderson figures to be a part of the team’s long term plans up the middle, and this contract buys out all of his arbitration years, and potentially more.

According to Nightengale, Anderson’s contract has two option years at the end of it, which would play him nearly $26 million more in total if they are both picked up by the White Sox. Those option years come in the first two years that Anderson would be eligible for free agency, meaning that the White Sox could potentially be in for a bargain if they pick them both up.

Reports first started surfacing on Monday that the two sides were engaged in talks on a long-term contract, and things progressed quickly after that. Signing young players to team-friendly, long-term deals that exchange buying out arbitration years for financial security is something that the Sox do frequently, as they’ve done with players like Jose Quintana and Chris Sale in the past.

With Anderson now under contract for the foreseeable future, the White Sox will now go to work fully on getting his strikeout rate under control. In 2016 Anderson struck out a whopping 117 times in just 410 at-bats, and would often chase pitches early in counts. He’s been working on his plate discipline in spring training and will hope to lower that total as he gains more MLB experience.

Contact Us