*This is a prediction*
After a heartbreaking loss, the Toronto Blue Jays need to rebuild and make minor improvements to close things out next year. Adding Tim Anderson would be far from a sure thing, but it’s an idea worth exploring nevertheless.
Although many people aren’t going to like it, Anderson to the Chicago White Sox would make sense. In that scenario, the main focus for Anderson is just to mentor Colson Montgomery.
With the Blue Jays, there’s not much to mentor. Instead, at 32 years old, Anderson would be hoping to sign with a contender, as it looks like his career is coming to an end.
While this wouldn’t be a deal that the Blue Jays absolutely need to do, it should at least be a possibility for both sides.
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Since 2021, it has been a sharp decline for Anderson. Here’s the brief breakdown on what went wrong for Anderson (White Sox landing spot article).
“In both 2021 and 2022, Anderson was an All-Star, where he had two great years. However, a mix of injuries and drama would cause such a steep drop off…In 2022, Anderson made the All-Star game with a 1.3 WAR and 0.301 batting average. Then in 2023, Anderson had a -1.8 WAR with a 0.245 batting average.”
Following a 2025 season where Anderson had zero WAR, zero home runs, a .205 batting average, and .258 OBP in 31 games. One bright spot on Anderson’s profile is that he had a five Fielding Run Value (per Baseball Savant) in 2025, although it was a small sample size.
With Anderson, this is more than likely his last chance. The appeal for Anderson is his veteran experience, and just hoping that he can turn things around in some way heading into 2026.
How Tim Anderson Fits in Toronto
At this point, there’s not really a chance that Anderson becomes a starter, regardless of who is in front of him. With the Blue Jays, they’re hoping that spot will belong to Bo Bichette, although nothing is official yet.
Even right now, Andrés Giménez is the projected starter, and at 27 years old, he’s more appealing. In 2025, Giménez had 1.1 WAR, seven home runs, a .210 batting average, and a .285 OBP.
However, Leo Jiménez is projected to come off the bench per Fangraphs. In 29 at-bats last year, Jiménez had -0.3 WAR, one home run, a .069 batting average, and a .129 OBP.
While Jiménez is just 24 years old, he could benefit from more time to develop. In order for the Blue Jays to comfortably do that, adding Anderson would be ideal.
This way, Anderson has a role with little expectations, and he’s not going to feel any pressure at this point in his career. With baseball being such a mental game, that lack of pressure could actually really help Anderson have a better year in terms of his production as well.
Tim Anderson Contract
When analyzing a possible contract for Anderson, you have to assume it would be a one-year deal for extremely cheap. At this point, Anderson doesn’t have much of a market, and this would be a high-risk free bet for Toronto.
If the White Sox don’t want to reunite with Tim Anderson, the Toronto Blue Jays are an underrated fit.