Tim Anderson DFA'd by Marlins; Hitting .214 Since Signing $5M Contract in Free Agency

The Miami Marlins are parting ways with Tim Anderson four months after he signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the club in free agency.

Per Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, Anderson has been designated for assignment by the Marlins.

The move will put Anderson on waivers for all 30 teams to claim. If he goes unclaimed in seven days, the Marlins can trade him to any club or release him.

Anderson was signed by the Marlins on Feb. 24, four days after the team's first full-squad workout in spring training. He became a free agent after the Chicago White Sox declined his $14 million option for 2024 in November.

Chicago made the decision after Anderson had one of the worst seasons of any player in MLB during the 2023 campaign. He hit .245/.286/.296 with one homer in 123 games and was one of 12 players to post a negative FanGraphs' wins above replacement (minus-0.2).

Things have only gotten worse for Anderson in 2024. The 31-year-old was hitting .214/.237/.226 with three extra-base hits in 234 at-bats with the Marlins. His minus-1.2 fWAR is the third-worst mark in MLB out of 183 players with at least 240 plate appearances.

It has been a steep fall for Anderson, who was one of the best players in the AL during his peak with the White Sox. He finished seventh in AL MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger award in 2020. He was named to back-to-back All-Star teams in 2021 and 2022.

Over four seasons from 2019 to 2022, Anderson hit .318/.347/.474 in 374 games. He ranked seventh among all shortstops in fWAR during that span, sandwiched between Corey Seager and Fernando Tatis Jr.

There might be a team that would be willing to take a chance on rehabbing Anderson's game, but there's now a significant sample size to suggest he may not be capable of holding down a roster spot in the big leagues.

If Anderson is able to land with another team, he will likely have to start in the minors and show he can hit pitching at that level before getting another shot at the MLB level.