Tuesday was one of the busiest days of the Major League Baseball season. The outcome of the Hall of Fame votes was announced; catcher JT Realmuto has signed a new, record-breaking contract with the Philadelphia Phillies; and Marcus Semien teamed up with the Toronto Blue Jays, who just added George Springer last week.
Nor was it the only step that went down Tuesday. Below you will find an overview of the other signatures of the day.
Simmons sign with Minnesota
Andrelton Simmons played in an Eastern Division and in a Western Division. Next season, he’s playing in a central series, after joining the Minnesota Twins for a one-year deal worth $ 10.5 million. according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Simmons is ranked by CBS Sports as the ninth best free agent available. Here is what we wrote:
How messy was 2020? Simmons, arguably the best campaigner of his generation, is classified as a defender by public standards. To be honest, he only played in 30 games due to an ankle injury and his decision to rule out late in the year. To be even more honest, the revision of his play suggests that he was largely the same advanced, big-armed, confident defender he had always been, he just dropped a few pop-ups that he should not have dropped and not did not have enough time to compensate for it. Fair enough. Simmons did enjoy a bounce season on the board, though his only real skill is there to make contact. He’s posted a 98 OPS + since the start of the 2017 season, but let’s be honest: you are not signing him for his stick.
Simmons’ addition will drive current shortcut Jorge Polanco to second base. The young Luis Arraez will meanwhile be used as a utility.
La Stella near San Francisco
The San Francisco Giants approach agreement with veteran striker Tommy La Stella, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
La Stella, who turns 32 in a few days, was named by CBS Sports this winter as the 31st best free agent available. Here is what we wrote at the time:
La Stella did not get as much fanfare this season as in 2019, when he followed up 16 times in 80 games and missed an All-Star Game appearance due to a broken leg, but according to OPS +, it was the best campaign. He has reduced his elimination rate to bare levels (up to 5 percent this year) without affecting his discipline or the adaptability of his swing, as he is still able to hit the ball (towards himself) hard. A team signing La Stella does so because of the contributions he can make on the offensive side, especially with his average and on-base percentage against right-handers. He is limited on the defensive side due to a poor standard and a general lack of creepy athletics. La Stella can “play” second or third, you just are not going to feel good about it before he bats again.
La Stella is expected to perform on second and third bases. As it stands now, Giants Donovan Solano and Evan Longoria are expected to start at those positions. Yet it is never a bad idea to have a little more competent depth.