Elvis Andrus is returning to the South Side, agreeing to a one-year contract with the White Sox, a source told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is pending a physical.
Andrus had a rebound season at the plate in 2022, recording 17 homers, 18 steals and a .707 OPS (103 OPS+) over 577 plate appearances between the A’s and White Sox.
The veteran was especially productive down the stretch after he was released by Oakland and signed with the White Sox, who were in need of a replacement at shortstop for the injured Tim Anderson. In 43 games for Chicago, he hit .271 with nine homers, 11 steals and a .773 OPS.
Andrus finished the season with 3.0 WAR (per Baseball-Reference), his highest total since 2017. He had 3.3 WAR combined in 2018-21 as he posted a .255 average, 24 homers and a .662 OPS (76 OPS+) across 419 games.
The 2022 season was the final year on the eight-year, $120 million contract extension Andrus signed with the Rangers in 2013. The Venezuela native spent 12 seasons in Arlington before the Rangers traded him to the A’s with Aramis Garcia for Khris Davis, Jonah Heim and Dane Acker in February 2021.
Texas acquired Andrus from the Braves along with Neftalí Feliz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones in the July 2007 Mark Teixeira blockbuster. The trade haul served as the foundation for the most successful era in Rangers history, as the club reached the World Series in 2010 and 2011.
Andrus will enter this season just three hits shy of 2,000 for his career. He owns a .270 average with 96 homers, 335 steals and 33.5 WAR over 14 MLB seasons.
