Shortstop Andrelton Simmons and the Minnesota Twins agree on a one-year, $ 10.5 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
A four-time Gold Glove Award winner, Simmons has established himself as one of the most brilliant defensive shortstops in baseball history. Since his first full season in 2013, Simmons has easily led the majors with 172 defensive points saved (Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is second with 120).
Simmons will be the starting shortstop for the Twins, with Jorge Polanco moving to second base and Luis Arraez still expected to get a lot of at-bat in a super-utility role.
The Los Angeles Angels took over Simmons in November 2015 – as former general manager Billy Eppler’s first big step – by sending fellow shortstop Erick Aybar and top prospect Sean Newcomb to the Atlanta Braves.
Simmons hit .281 / .328 / .394 in his five seasons with the Angels, with 36 homers, 112 doubles and 15.4 FanGraphs wins over replacements, ninth of the shortstops from 2016 to 2020.
Simmons, 31, was selected by Atlanta in the second round of the 2010 amateur draft and made his big league-debut with the Braves in 2012. He is a .269 career hitter with 67 homers and 406 RBI’s in 1,060 games with the Braves and Angels.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.