Angels rumored interest in this two-time all-star makes no sense

The Los Angeles Angels have a lot of work to do this offseason to get themselves to a place Angels fans will actually be happy with. The team as constructed is nowhere near a playoff team following their 73-89 finish and could look even worse if Shohei Ohtani leaves.

While this Angels team needs a lot of improvement, one area that seems solidified is the infield. Nolan Schanuel, Brandon Drury, Zach Neto, and Anthony Rendon are as of now the Angels Opening Day infield. Sure, it'd be nice to bring in a quality Rendon backup, but as of now, the Angels appear set.

The best player out of those four right now is Brandon Drury who was a Silver Slugger finalist in 2023 after winning one in 2022. Despite Drury's ascension into a legitimate all-star player, Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Angels are expressing strong interest in shortstop Tim Anderson who had his club option declined by the White Sox and could be looking to move him to second base. To that, I ask, why?

Tim Anderson would have no role on the LA Angels

If you had told me before the 2023 season that the Angels were looking into bringing Anderson on board, I would've been thrilled. He's won a batting title, a Silver Slugger, and is a two-time all-star. He had hit over .300 in each season from 2019-2022, proving to be one of the best leadoff hitters in the game for the White Sox.

The problem with Anderson is his 2023 season was a disaster. He slashed .245/.286/.296 with one home run and 25 RBI in 123 games for the White Sox. Anderson proved to be one of the worst regulars in the league this season, posting an OPS+ of 60. For reference, Brett Phillips had a 63 OPS+ this season for the Angels.

Will Anderson be this bad again? Probably not. However, there's certainly reason to believe he won't get back to his all-star form. If that's the case, what exactly are we doing here?

Anderson's track record is good enough for him to earn an everyday role somewhere, whether it be at second base or shortstop, on some team. The Angels are a team without the ability to offer him one. Even if they traded Drury away this offseason as he's in the final year of his deal, wouldn't they just start Luis Rengifo instead? I don't see a point in starting Anderson out of position coming off such a dreadful year.

For now, let's just hope this Angels interest in Tim Anderson is overblown as the team has far bigger needs to address.