Shortstop Andrelton Simmons and the Minnesota Twins agree on a $ 10.5 million one-year contract, sources familiar with the deal said ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Four-time Gold Glove Award winner, Simmons has established himself among the most brilliant defensive interbases in baseball history. Since his first full season in 2013, Simmons easily leads the majors with 172 saved defensive runs (Colorado Rockies’ third baseman, Nolan Arenado, is second with 120).
Simmons will be the twins’ initial shortstop, with Jorge Polanco moving to second base and Luis Arraez still hoping to get a lot of hits in a superuser role.
The Los Angeles Angels acquired Simmons in November 2015 – as former general manager Billy Eppler’s first big move – sending shortstop mate Erick Aybar and prospect Sean Newcomb to the Atlanta Braves.
Simmons hit back .281 / .328 / .394 in his five seasons with the Angels, compiling 36 homers, 112 doubles and 15.4 FanGraphs wins over substitution, the ninth biggest among shortstops from 2016 to 2020.
Simmons, 31, was selected by Atlanta in the second round of the 2010 amateur draft and made his major league debut with Braves in 2012. He is a 0.269 career hitter with 67 home runs and 406 RBIs in 1060 games with Braves and Angels.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.