Yes,Yes, of course, it’s hard to lament the loss of a player coming off of the (tied for) third-worst season by a White Sox hitter in history (-2.0 WAR).
But the trimming of Tim Anderson from the White Sox roster — the White Sox on Saturday opted for a $1 million buyout rather than pay him $14 million next year — surely reveals the “compete in 2024” bumper sticker the White Sox have been putting out there for fans, in desperate hope of cracking 1 million in attendance next summer, was and remains a sham.
No doubt about it, Anderson suffered through an abysmal 2023, with off-field scandal compounded by an embarrassing tete-a-tete with José Ramírez that severely damaged his “tough guy” persona.