The Atlanta Braves had mainly positive results against the Marlins previous season, and The Fish finally made a major league signing to fight back.
Last season, the Atlanta Braves dominated their series with the Miami Marlins.
Atlanta went 9-4 versus Miami, with three of its losses coming in mid-September, after the Braves had already secured the NL East for the sixth consecutive season. The Braves outscored Miami 96-65 in their 2023 series, with the final three games accounting for more than half of Miami’s total runs (36).
In an effort to fight back, Miami signed shortstop Tim Anderson, previously of the Chicago White Sox, to a one-year contract worth $5 million, according to various reports.
Anderson, who turns 31 this season, was once a rising star in baseball due to his offensive brilliance, finishing seventh in MVP voting in the shorter 2020 season and leading all of baseball with a.335 hitting average in 2019.
However, Anderson has struggled in recent seasons, hitting only seven home runs in his last 202 games, including only one in 123 games last season, with a career-worst.245/.286/.296 slash line in 2023.
(Note that Anderson’s 2022 season was cut short due to a torn finger tendon, and it’s possible that the lasting effects of that injury caused him to start slowly in 2023.)
Anderson’s season had its low point on August 5th, when he was floored by Cleveland Guardians’ third baseman José Ramírez with a right hook during a dispute at second base.
Anderson’s (and the White Sox’s) desire for a change of scenery for the mercurial talent is a positive development for Miami, which has failed to recruit major league free agents this winter. After losing DH Jorge Soler to free agency, Miami made several periphery roster swaps and minor league acquisitions, but was unable to add a free agent to a major league contract until Anderson signed today.
Anderson is anticipated to be the starting shortstop for the Marlins, who were considering using utilityman Jon Berti and former prospects Xavier Edwards or Vidal Brujan.
