Tuesday was one of the busiest days of the Major League Baseball off-season. The results of the Hall of Fame vote were announced; catcher JT Realmuto signed a new record contract with the Philadelphia Phillies; and Marcus Semien joined the Toronto Blue Jays, which just added George Springer last week.
These were not the only moves that took place on Tuesday. Below, you’ll find a recap of the other hires of the day.
Simmons signs with Minnesota
Andrelton Simmons played in the east division and played in the west division. Next season, he will play at the center, having joined the Minnesota Twins on a $ 10.5 million one-year contract, by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Simmons entered the off-season rated by CBS Sports as the ninth best free agent available. Here’s what we wrote:
How confused was 2020? Simmons, arguably the best shortstop on the field of his generation, was classified as a below average defender, according to public-facing metrics. Now, to be fair, he only played 30 games because of an ankle injury and his decision to leave at the end of the year. To be even more fair, the review of his game suggests that he was basically the same slender defender, with big arms and a safe hand as usual, he just dropped a few pop-ups that he shouldn’t have dropped and didn’t have enough time to expiate that. Fair. Simmons enjoyed a recovery season at the base, although his only real ability is making contact. He has posted 98 OPS + since the start of the 2017 season, but let’s be realistic: you are not hiring him for your stick.
The addition of Simmons will push current Jorge Polanco shortstop to second base. Young Luis Arraez, in turn, will be used as a concessionaire.
La Stella closes deals with San Francisco
The San Francisco Giants is reaching an agreement with veteran Tommy La Stella, according to Alex Pavlovic of the NBC Sports Bay Area.
La Stella, who will turn 32 in a few days, entered the winter ranked by CBS Sports as the 31st best free agent available. Here’s what we were writing at the time:
La Stella did not receive as much fanfare this season as in 2019, when he scored 16 goals in 80 games and lost a participation in the All-Star Game because of a fractured leg, but according to OPS + this was a superior campaign. He reduced his strikeout rate to basic levels (to 5% this year) without affecting his discipline or the adaptability of his swing, as he is still able to hit the ball hard (in relation to himself) through the plans. A team that hires La Stella is doing so because of the contributions it can make on the offensive side, especially with its average and base percentage against right-handed pitchers. He is limited in defense because of a substandard arm and a general lack of restless athletics. La Stella can “play” in second or third place, you just won’t feel good about it until he hits again.
La Stella is expected to take action on both second and third bases. As it stands, the Giants should start Donovan Solano and Evan Longoria in those positions. Still, having a little more depth is never a bad idea.