White Sox sign Tim Anderson to 6-year extension

The White Sox have agreed to a 6-year, $25 million contract extension with shortstop Tim Anderson, according to FOX’s Ken Rosenthal and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The deal also includes two club options for 2023 and 2024 that could push its maximum value to $50.5 million over eight seasons.

Anderson’s deal is the most lucrative for a player with less than one year of service time in major-league history, topping the $20 million guarantee the Rays gave Chris Archer in 2014. Anderson has 115 days of major-league service time, meaning he was tentatively slated to hit arbitration in 2020 and free agency in 2023. The new deal locks in all of his pre-arb and arbitration years, as well as extending the team’s control for two seasons (2023 and 2024).

Anderson, 23, broke into the majors last season, hitting a solid .283/.306/.432 with nine homers in 99 games for the ChiSox after taking over for veteran Jimmy Rollins. The former first-round pick (17th overall in 2013) was worth 2.8 WAR for Chicago, and is expected to be the team’s long-term solution at shortstop.

The White Sox are in the midst of a rebuild that has seen Adam Eaton and Chris Sale shipped out of town since last season, though the club clearly views Anderson as part of its core moving forward. Anderson’s long-term deal makes him the third White Sox player to be locked up for the near future, with pitchers Nate Jones and Jose Quintana (through 2020) as the other two players with future commitments.

Anderson will likely soon be joined in the majors by some top prospects the ChiSox acquired in trades this winter, including potential stars Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez.

MLB.com’s Scott Merkin first reported that the sides were discussing a deal Monday night.