The nature of being the Los Angeles Dodgers & losing a superstar for an extended period of time is that you're going to be connected to any name. Whether it's one that surfaces in trade rumors or, say, was designated for assignment, it's inevitable.
Tim Anderson is the latest of such names.
The absence of Mookie Betts for at least roughly another six weeks has led many to wonder if the team would pursue a middle infielder to take over in his stead. Anderson was DFA'd by Miami early on Tuesday. The connection seems logical on paper.
He represents one option, however, that the team would be wise to steer entirely clear of.
Anderson was in his first season with the Marlins, but was twice an All-Star with the Chicago White Sox. He even garnered some MVP votes back in 2020. The Tim Anderson we knew on the South Side of Chicago, though, is not the same player we're seeing in 2024. Far from it, in fact.
In terms of cumulative offensive value, Anderson's wRC+ sat at a mere 31. Among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, that's the worst mark in the league. And by a fairly wide margin. He was hitting only .214 and had posted a .241 OBP prior to his designation. A career-high strikeout rate over 28 percent juxtaposed against a paltry 2.8 BB% doesn't help his case either.
The underlying stuff looks just as bad. His Contact% (70.9) is tied for the worst of his career. His HardHit%, at 30.1, is his second-worst. Combine that with the fact that he's putting the ball on the ground an absurd 62 percent of the time, and there's virtually nothing redeemable about his offensive output this season. His glove doesn't salvage any hope of justification, either. He's either exactly at average or below it by all metrics.
To say nothing of the fact that the Dodgers already have a suitable Betts replacement in-house. Miguel Rojas is in the midst of a career year and has only gotten better during his time filling in for Betts. His defense is also well above average according to essentially all advanced metrics.
Had this DFA happened a couple weeks ago, then maybe the conversation is slightly different. In that sense, perhaps you sign Anderson and platoon him with Gavin Lux at the keystone. But Lux has looked better of late. Chris Taylor, too, for what it's worth. Enrique Hernández hasn't been good at the plate, but the bat provides at least marginal value compared to Anderson.
With that, it leaves virtually no justifiable reason for the team to pursue Tim Anderson. It would be a minimal cost, sure. But given the team's increasing stability on offense and desire to improve defensively, there isn't a world in 2024 where such an avenue makes sense.