The twins reached an agreement with shortstop Andrelton Simmons on a $ 10.5 million one-year contract, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand late on Tuesday. The club did not confirm the change. Simmons will take over as a full-time intermediary for the twins, while Jorge Polanco will be transferred to a
The twins reached an agreement with shortstop Andrelton Simmons on a $ 10.5 million one-year contract, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand late on Tuesday. The club did not confirm the change.
Simmons will assume the position of full-time intermediary for the twins, while incumbent Jorge Polanco will be transferred to a utility position. Simmons was also reportedly the Phillies’ main target after they agreed to a deal with catcher JT Realmuto on Tuesday.
Simmons, 31, is among the best defensive shortstops in recent history. He owns four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and also took home the Platinum Glove Award (given to the best general defender in each league) with Braves in 2013. The native of Curaçao was Braves’ choice in the second round in the 2010 Draft of MLB and spent his first four Major League seasons in Atlanta before being traded to the Angels after the 15th season. Simmons won his third and fourth Golden Gloves in his career with Los Angeles and finished eighth in the MVP Award of the American League in 2017.
Simmons has stepped back on the board since then, cutting 0.271 / 0.318 / 0.362 since the start of the 2019 season. He is a .269 / .317 / .369 career hitter with 91 OPS + over nine major league seasons. . But Simmons brings elite contact skills to the Twins’ powerful lineup, ranking among the top 10% qualified MLB players in scent rate and elimination rate in each of the last two campaigns.
Matt Kelly is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter at @mattkellyMLB.