The twins signed a $ 10.5 million one-year deal with shortstop Andrelton Simmons, a source told MLB.com on Tuesday night. The club did not confirm the move. Simmons will take over the Twins full-time shortstop position, while current Jorge Polanco after a
The twins signed a $ 10.5 million one-year deal with shortstop Andrelton Simmons, a source told MLB.com on Tuesday night. The club did not confirm the move.
Simmons will take over the Twins’ full-time short-term job, while current Jorge Polanco will go on to a utility role. Simmons was also reportedly the Phillies’ top target after reaching an agreement with catcher JT Realmuto earlier Tuesday.
Simmons, 31, is one of the best defensive shortcuts in recent history. He holds four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and also took the Platinum Glove Award (awarded to the best overall defender in each league) in 2013 along with the Braves. The Curaçao native was the Braves’ second round in the MLB draft in 2010 and had his first four Major League seasons in Atlanta before being traded to the Angels after the ’15 season. Simmons achieved his third and fourth career gold gloves alongside Los Angeles, and he finished as high as eighth in the 2017 American League MVP Award poll.
Simmons has since taken a step back on the board and has been hitting .271 / .318 / .362 since the start of the 2019 season. He is a career of .269 / .317 / .369 with a 91 OPS + over nine major league seasons. But Simmons delivers excellent contact ability at the twins’ powerful series, achieving MLB’s top ten percent of qualified players at both levels and pass rates in each of the last two campaigns.
Matt Kelly is a reporter for MLB.com in New York. Follow him on Twitter @mattkellyMLB.