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Andrelton Simmons: An Intriguing Free Agent

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c7&period;547&comma;0&comma;11&period;675-6&period;252&comma;11&period;675-11&period;675c0-0&period;178-0&period;004-0&period;355-0&period;012-0&period;531C20&period;985&comma;7&period;47&comma;21&period;68&comma;6&period;747&comma;22&period;23&comma;5&period;924z"><&sol;path><&sol;svg><span class&equals;"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text">Twitter<&sol;span><&sol;a><&sol;li>&NewLine;&NewLine;<li class&equals;"wp-social-link wp-social-link-youtube wp-block-social-link"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;youtube&period;com&sol;channel&sol;UCpO0Mz-8tnHNKqQk8oJSDcg&quest;view&lowbar;as&equals;subscriber" class&equals;"wp-block-social-link-anchor"><svg width&equals;"24" height&equals;"24" viewBox&equals;"0 0 24 24" version&equals;"1&period;1" xmlns&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;w3&period;org&sol;2000&sol;svg" aria-hidden&equals;"true" focusable&equals;"false"><path 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s4&period;203-0&period;006&comma;7&period;001-0&period;209c0&period;391-0&period;047&comma;1&period;243-0&period;051&comma;2&period;004-0&period;847c0&period;6-0&period;607&comma;0&period;795-1&period;985&comma;0&period;795-1&period;985s0&period;2-1&period;618&comma;0&period;2-3&period;237v-1&period;517 C22&comma;9&period;62&comma;21&period;8&comma;8&period;001&comma;21&period;8&comma;8&period;001z M9&period;935&comma;14&period;594l-0&period;001-5&period;62l5&period;404&comma;2&period;82L9&period;935&comma;14&period;594z"><&sol;path><&sol;svg><span class&equals;"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text">YouTube<&sol;span><&sol;a><&sol;li><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading"><strong>Written by&colon; Deniz Bayrakeri<&sol;strong><br><strong>Follow him on Twitter&colon; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;twitter&period;com&sol;DenizBayrakeri" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener">&commat;DenizBayrakeri<&sol;a><&sol;strong><br><strong>Follow Prospects Worldwide on T<&sol;strong>witter&colon; <a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;twitter&period;com&sol;ProspectsWorldW" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">&commat;ProspectsWorldW<&sol;a><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<hr class&equals;"wp-block-separator is-style-wide"&sol;>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Andrelton Simmons has a reputation for being an illustrious defender throughout his career&period; However&comma; he has become quite the underrated player&comma; as his defensive prowess wasted away with below-average Angels teams for the last half-decade&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Defensive Excellence In Numbers<&sol;h3>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">While the mainstream media tends to focus on other brilliant shortstops like Javier Báez and Carlos Correa&comma; Simmons has quietly obliterated the competition in both DRS &lpar;Defensive Runs Saved&rpar; and UZR &lpar;Ultimate Zone Rating&rpar;&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh5&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;hTvGq3HR3UyHaF9Yrr2VgXV87vhQmf1M7dD2MKUfQN788LSQLK&lowbar;MbKA-&lowbar;v5yx2MJW6NKPbkfeaJcyIp&lowbar;G1BHhY1I&lowbar;imr5i8QttQbHlQEK0t&lowbar;Wth-0&lowbar;Ri8FEUDAvh23QTXufHk0XG" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"454" height&equals;"390"&sol;><figcaption>Source&colon; FanGraphs<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Comparing Andrelton Simmons to other shortstops from 2002 onwards&comma; we can see that he is far superior to his peers&period; Keep in mind&comma; these are cumulative stats&comma; so playing longer is key to accruing good numbers&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph"><img width&equals;"624&period;0000000000001" height&equals;"283" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh5&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;lvcCXsiDPykZCdDv8Z8wVfhiMa&lowbar;ZJJDBAohuwHPs3zprnxbmWj1vxsCBYZtEcl2SFjkoHUAWpi2UUoTQMmphsb0llHBosvcM8uJwCAZ9ttjOyWpwVJByvNS3NNP7aAWLcG4iNwOT"><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">When looking at UZR&comma; Jimmy Rollins and J&period;J&period; Hardy place firmly below Simmons&comma; despite having 8&comma;000 and 4&comma;500 more innings at shortstop respectively&period; As he enters just his 10th season&comma; it is safe to assume that Simmons will create an enormous gap from his peers&comma; cementing himself as number one in UZR&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Seeing such a sizable difference between the rankings might raise some eyebrows&period; But&comma; with unbelievable plays such as below&comma; its easy to tell he is different&period; Andrelton Simmons is able to cover ground with phenomenal range and turn hits into outs consistently with his plus arm&comma; contributing to his elite defensive numbers&period; <&sol;p><div class&equals;"9V0nVuJ9" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- Display Ad --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-7814068302911952" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1407500180" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh3&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;ZZxewvjtatb&lowbar;Cd3fCm-yMqA9vASbwhMuG8FrEh18zYfvRY1oKAuN5UMvzLToDGax2BJ2wzQeTlXnEg4F0oWw3qyW02TA-dvC-fCi79bXQtrL1HRltMRC37puLmetwstbywnMysMP" alt&equals;""&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Now let’s take a look at Simmons compared to all other shortstops in league history&period; To compare with players who played before the creation of DRS in 2003&comma; we will use Total Zone &lpar;TZ&rpar; mixed with DRS to compensate for the lack of the statistic and provide a more accurate analysis of defensive value across the years&period;&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh6&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;wxqXIhyl3Eh7CV3ixbwijwip7G5vWcVcvhvDbfY-2ounszEy3Ri5kwwEZTrOHjImP2LqWfp-X0dG5HSF4Pgmmy0HSs40EhboXDO&lowbar;lhu5dFEkNejybTkxb10FutgfU6aT5dyflVg-" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"426" height&equals;"382"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">In the chart above&comma; five of the listed players have made it to the hall of fame&comma; with the only player above Simmons being the legend Ozzie Smith&period; Andrelton Simmons currently places third in league history among shortstops&comma; and could very well make it to the top in the next few seasons&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">When it comes to single-season UZR and DRS metrics&comma; Simmons is in a class of his own&period; The 31-year-old currently holds 3 finishes in the top 10 for UZR single-season records and 4 in the top 10 for DRS&comma; including the number 1 season in 2013&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh3&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;OxKonXi0YPOzMzf&lowbar;wCLQaPPKUtxqeydfoqtg8YzcTlyCJ3d6G7YwHsPmz&lowbar;BrnzkX5JfZQ3oEDLyJTlssa7A80jXPwu4OupP4Pq&lowbar;dELv7zTiB1HleCIHk69N4Z9WDS1tjB1cN1zh8" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"435" height&equals;"407"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh6&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;Yc3xTAJWQcU0YqTpZ6qNOlqedlus8EG3xzcNiisqe9yirQNsZ2KagXIahhotpgLxMS6-nO-ofuNa5wbmcM&lowbar;-YXgY&lowbar;zK8ISUpeqfX0G4krdfVALSY6wdn5WSqvUPBkWiC3LGn9TQ1" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"434" height&equals;"414"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Additionally&comma; Simmons has carved a top rank for himself among shortstops in Statcast’s OAA &lpar;Outs Above Average&rpar;&colon;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh3&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;aYYISd3vk03P&lowbar;81C&lowbar;5sczyLkAsGwJgck47e1eWGxMSoUFzEssmPvPHR1AM-VEenk1q6nCRWmqcMENF4DPhnI5Abg5hj&lowbar;OD6cfwDDYOko0OMO&lowbar;sqMAQKFB94NYYXq5wXjNfBR81OK" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"368" height&equals;"465"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Since the statistic’s creation in 2017&comma; Simmons ranks second among all shortstops in OAA with 43&period; If not for two injury-shortened seasons from 2019-2020&comma; Simmons would undoubtedly be the king of this defensive metric as well&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">This extreme gap in defensive metrics has separated Simmons’ value from all shortstops in the game today&comma; despite the fact his offense is barely league average&period; He peaked as a 7&period;8 bWAR player in 2017 and followed it up in 2018 with a 6&period;3 season&period; FanGraphs calculates Simmons’ career WAR at 25&period;6&comma; while Baseball-Reference’s bWAR values him at 36&period;7&comma; putting the defensive wizard on pace to surpass several current hall of fame shortstops after only 9 seasons in the major leagues&period;&nbsp&semi; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Even though Andrelton Simmons is not an elite offensive player&comma; he still can put up respectable triple slash lines as shown by his 2012-2018 seasons&colon; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh5&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;4smhPcKsbl4QLcaHZQ7ioPDkm6O5ynOYppDUSTUHPNDxwir7RwLZ4RjTXS9FabUFjblKKF&lowbar;lo7n1lmLx8gB8o&lowbar;BiTYsPXdGisBQBSjniPVMMirrGmBrjIZOn2Nn3F9CMwk0Itf&lowbar;8" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"438" height&equals;"211"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Beyond the metrics&comma; he is one of baseball’s most entertaining and unique players&period; Not only is he capable of freak web gems but he also routinely makes plays that show off his ridiculously high awareness and baseball IQ like below&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh4&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;Uid&lowbar;9A7pP9zsFrA83aCDNUCRr0&lowbar;fXB-8LCwaAgDOQrZcEWQHrM6iXFU4tlnp5DnWiQqP&lowbar;S5ithp2FIB9Ip9LRlejBBVcVbs5ZavaA&lowbar;N24HA0Qe-sRonBVNlfWmYRUhdbibLYRQMk" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"586" height&equals;"330"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Not only did he display strong mental awareness by positioning himself perfectly for the cut-off man&comma; but Simmons also threw an absolute rocket to the catcher with accurate precision&comma; beating the runner by a mile when in most cases he scores without a throw&period; These kinds of plays separate Simmons defensively from the rest of the pack&comma; but they also make him a great role model for younger players&period; Others can learn from his defensive aptitude and focus&comma; making him a natural leader in that regard&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">Is Simmons&&num;8217&semi; Value Fading&quest;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Due to a severe ankle injury in 2019&comma; Simmons has not been the same player as of recent&period; He played only 103 games in 2019 by spending much time on the IL in stints caused by left ankle troubles&period; His ankle flared up again this season&comma; causing him to go on the IL in the opening week&period; Andrelton Simmons eventually opted out of the season in late September and ended up with just 30 games played&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The past two injury-hampered seasons have certainly cost Simmons a place among the top shortstops in today’s rankings&period; In the last two seasons&comma; Simmons has totaled just 10 DRS&period; Prior to 2019&comma; the lowest two-season DRS total of his career was 49&period; Talk about a step-down&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">To make matters worse&comma; Simmons has slowed down noticeably over the last few seasons&period; According to Statcast&comma; his sprint speed has fallen from the 62nd percentile in 2017 to 54th in 2018&comma; to 38th in 2019&comma; and 32nd in 2020&period; While Simmons owns steady&comma; quick hands&comma; a rocket arm&comma; and high situational awareness&comma; the decline in speed along with the reoccurring ankle problems raise questions about a potential loss of athleticism and health&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">On top of these concerns&comma; Simmons remains a pedestrian offensive threat&period; With the trend of hitting going in the direction of home run hitters&comma; most evaluators tend to focus on power predictive metrics such as exit velocity and hard hit &percnt;&period; As we can see in the below chart&comma; Simmons is on the other end of the spectrum of today’s hitting&comma; trading away power to consistently put the ball in play&period; Situational and contact hitters are certainly important for a major league club&period; However&comma; these traits are not as sought after in comparison to the past&period; <&sol;p><div class&equals;"nbGQuXNH" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- Display Ad --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-7814068302911952" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1407500180" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;lh3&period;googleusercontent&period;com&sol;nsV&lowbar;zlLSnzKZeq1GUTNhJF1ZHGzuU&lowbar;P18eOi&lowbar;cDpVISyMnojE6mPa6iyvprKV9FW7AafE9SgTX&lowbar;gYHVUpHUJyFf4cIWQIz0wNrcXgr0GH3HNG&lowbar;NxSYcrFVWiSf-uV55LXi1Jorh-" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"408" height&equals;"399"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">This recent trend does not bode well for Simmons’ contract hopes&period; In his last full season &lpar;2018&rpar;&comma; Simmons’ percentile ranks for key power metrics were putrid&colon; 17th xISO&comma; 38th xSLG&comma; 35th BRL&comma; 20th BRL&percnt;&comma; 38th Exit Velocity&comma; and 42nd Hard Hit &percnt;&period; He clearly is the antithesis of what teams look for in hitters today&period; Along with the recent injury concerns&comma; it could be difficult for Simmons to secure a large pay day&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Another factor against Andrelton Simmons is the shortstop crowded free-agent class in 2021&period; In the current free-agent market&comma; the only other significant shortstops are Marcus Semien and Didi Gregorius&period; As a result&comma; many teams could save money and target the 2021 offseason to fill their lineup gap with elite shortstops such as Francisco Lindor&comma; Corey Seager&comma; Trevor Story Javier Báez&comma; and Carlos Correa on track to become free agents&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Could Simmons be available on a shorter deal&quest; Coming off his worst two seasons coupled with being ranked a negative defender for the first time in his career in 2020&comma; Simmons could opt for a one year deal to prove he’s healthy and able to be a defensive stalwart again&period; Regardless&comma; shortstop is a significantly important defensive position&comma; and most teams could use a guy like Simmons for his presence in the clubhouse alone&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h4 class&equals;"wp-block-heading">The Road To Redemption<&sol;h4>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Andrelton Simmons could follow the same track as fellow shortstop free-agent Didi Gregorius did a year ago and sign a one-year deal&period; Prior to 2020&comma; Gregorius found himself in a similar situation to Simmons&colon; an above-average player with a future clouded by injury problems in a contract year&period; Betting on himself worked&comma; as Gregorius returned to form in 2020 and is projected to land a lucrative contract this winter&period; This result could prove to be the same for Simmons if he is able to regain his health and restore his defensive production for a season&period; Let&&num;8217&semi;s take a look at which destinations make the most sense for the former Platinum glove winner&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h4 class&equals;"wp-block-heading"><span style&equals;"text-decoration&colon; underline">Milwaukee Brewers<&sol;span><&sol;h4>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The Brewers were rough from a defensive standpoint&comma; with their two middle infielders being the lowest on the team in DRS &lpar;SS Orlando Arcia -5&comma; 2B Keston Hiura -8&rpar;&period; Orlando Arcia is still only 26 years old and arbitration-eligible until 2023&period; However&comma; he has not met expectations for a contending club that needs better production from the shortstop position&period;&nbsp&semi;It would be wise of the Brewers to seek an upgrade&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The Brewers could have a few options if they decide to sign Simmons&period; They could either let Simmons compensate for Hiura’s issues at 2nd and let Urias be in a pure utility role&comma; or they could bump Hiura down a spot on the defensive spectrum and let Urias take over 2nd&period; This signing would give them some time to see if prospect Bryce Turang develops&comma; but also would let them move on from Arcia&period; <&sol;p><div class&equals;"ONBzEMdD" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-7814068302911952" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"2531094727"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">With upcoming free agents coming off the books freeing up ~&dollar;26 million&comma; the Brewers should have a decent amount of money to spend&period; Just two seasons ago&comma; the Brewers’ payroll was up to ~&dollar;136 million&period; Currently&comma; the team has roughly &dollar;80 million in guaranteed contracts for 2021&comma; so there is reason to believe they could be buyers in this market&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The Brewers could offer Simmons a 2-year contract&comma; with the second year including a player option attached in case Simmons wants to test 2022’s free agency instead of the star-studded 2021 class&period; For Milwuakee&comma; they would immediately upgrade at SS and have a proven leader in the infield&period; Additionally&comma; the 2 years would give more development time for Urias&comma; Hiura&comma; and top prospect Turang who would be closer to MLB ready by the end of the contract&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The contract offer could look like <strong>&dollar;24 million&sol;2 years &lpar;<em>&dollar;12m AAV<&sol;em>&rpar;<&sol;strong> with bonuses attached for 450 plate appearances and gold glove finalist&comma; giving him the opportunity to prove his health and defense are still alive&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h4 class&equals;"wp-block-heading"><span style&equals;"text-decoration&colon; underline">Detroit Tigers<&sol;span><&sol;h4>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">While the Tigers improved defensively in 2020&comma; the team still lacks a veteran presence in the middle infield&period; This question mark depends on how committed Al Avila and AJ Hinch are to young Willi Castro as a shortstop&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Castro was a solid hitter in 36 games in 2020 with a &period;349&sol;&period;381&sol;&period;552 slash line&period; While it is a small sample size&comma; he showed promise offensively&period; It was on the defensive side where the growing pains were obvious&period; Some believe that Castro’s best fit might be at second base&period; Still&comma; Castro playing some time at short would help develop him into a better all around player&period; Having Simmons there to show him the ropes of what it takes to be elite would definitely benefit his growth&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Simmons would be an upgrade to a defense that will be behind a very young and inexperienced Tigers pitching staff&period; A good way to help protect and instill confidence in the young arms is to invest in a defensive presence behind them&period; If Simmons gets past his injury concerns and plays at even half the level he was at before&comma; Detroit&&num;8217&semi;s young pitchers would benefit tremendously&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Should Simmons play well and Detroit is selling&comma; contenders could look to acquire him at the trade deadline&period; A rebuilding team such as the Tigers could always use a valuable trade piece to improve the farm system&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Tigers have some wiggle room financially should they choose to invest in Simmons&period; Their 2021 salary commitment is about &dollar;54 million&comma; a steep decrease from 2019’s &dollar;114 million payroll&period; In case the Tigers need to bid for Simmons’ services&comma; they could easily up the ante&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">A projection for the contract offer would be <strong>&dollar;27 million&sol;2 years &lpar;<em>&dollar;13&period;5m AAV<&sol;em>&rpar;<&sol;strong>&period; The second year includes a player option to give Simmons some flexibility&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h4 class&equals;"wp-block-heading"><span style&equals;"text-decoration&colon; underline">Philadelphia Phillies<&sol;span><&sol;h4>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The Phillies are going into the offseason with some of their key players heading into free agency&period; With JT Realmuto being the top priority&comma; the Phillies might end up letting Didi walk&period; Of the big three veteran shortstops on the market this winter&comma; Gregorius clearly had the best season&comma; setting him up for a big pay day&period; If Philly opts to go a different route due to price&comma; Andrelton Simmons could be an option&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Didi and Segura were both below-average defenders in 2020&comma; posting -2 and -1 DRS respectively&period; The team lacks SS depth in its farm system and finding a viable replacement from within might prove difficult&period; Adding a player of Simmons’ caliber for a few seasons would go a long way to helping these issues&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Philadelphia’s top shortstop prospect Bryson Scott is still 2 years away from making the majors&period; Signing Simmons to a multi-year deal would allow Scott to develop smoothly in the minors&period; Once he’s up&comma; he&&num;8217&semi;d have an impressive mentor in Simmons helping him grow at the position&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The signing would also help the team&&num;8217&semi;s defense in keeping Jean Segura at second or third base&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The Phillies could offer Simmons a contract of around <strong>&dollar;33 million&sol;3 years &lpar;<em>&dollar;11m AAV<&sol;em>&rpar;<&sol;strong>&comma; giving Simmons some financial safety&period; A<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h3 class&equals;"wp-block-heading"><em>Conclusion<&sol;em><&sol;h3>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Despite the last couple of injury riddled seasons&comma; Simmons remains one of the most exciting and valuable players in baseball&period; It is not every year that a player with hall of fame defensive capabilities is available on the open market&period; Any team that takes a chance on Simmons would be getting a nice ballplayer on a great bargain&period; &nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph"><em>All data sourced from fangraphs&period;com&comma; baseball-reference&period;com&comma; fieldingbible&period;com&comma; spotrac&period;com and baseballsavant&period;mlb&period;com&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<hr class&equals;"wp-block-separator is-style-wide"&sol;>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Follow us on Twitter <a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;twitter&period;com&sol;ProspectsWorldW">&commat;ProspectsWorldW<&sol;a><&sol;strong><br><strong>SUBSCRIBE To our <a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;youtube&period;com&sol;channel&sol;UCpO0Mz-8tnHNKqQk8oJSDcg">YouTube channel<&sol;a>&excl; For amateur and Minor League prospects<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- Display Ad --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-7814068302911952" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1407500180" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad2" id&equals;"quads-ad2" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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