Tim Anderson, Marlins Reportedly Agree to 1-Year, $5M Contract in MLB Free Agency

Free-agent shortstop Tim Anderson has reportedly agreed to a contract with the Miami Marlins.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the 30-year-old will sign a one-year, $5 million deal with the NL East club.

Over a four-year stretch (2019-2022), Anderson hit .318 (.820 OPS) and sported a 162-game average of 22 home runs and 71 RBI, per Baseball Reference.

Anderson led the major leagues with a .335 batting average in 2019 and paced the American League with 45 runs during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He then earned back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2021 and 2022.

Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury in August 2022. Specifically, the White Sox state that Anderson dealt with a "sagittal band tear on the middle finger of his left hand."

Anderson returned in 2023, but he suffered more ailments in the form of a sprained left knee and right shoulder soreness during the 2023 season. In 123 games, the infielder hit just one home run with 25 RBI and a .245 batting average (.582 OPS).

Per Jon Greenberg of The Athletic, Anderson's ".296 slugging percentage and .582 OPS were the lowest of any American League batter."

After the season, the White Sox declined their $14 million team option on his contract, making him a free agent.

The one-time star will look to enjoy a healthy future with Miami that will enable him to recapture his pre-2023 form. He is an electric player at his best, and 2023 was obviously not a representation of what he can bring to a franchise, so he's betting on himself with a short-term pact.

In Miami, Anderson won't have to deal with helping carry a lineup as he sometimes did in Chicago, nor will he have to deal with the scrutiny of a bigger, more baseball-obsessed market.

It will be interesting to see what role the Marlins have him play. He was the worst defensive shortstop in MLB by defensive runs saved (minus-16) with at least 900 innings played. He has just 18 innings of major league experience at second base, all of which came last year.

Jon Berti is penciled in as Miami's starting shortstop going into this season, though he's been used as a super-utility player over the past five years and could bounce around depending on what the team needs.