Shortstop Andrelton Simmons and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement 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 among the most brilliant defensive shortstops in baseball history. Since his first full season in 2013, Simmons easily leads the majors with 172 defensive runs saved (Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is second with 120).
Simmons will be the Twins’ starting shortstop, with Jorge Polanco moving to second base and Luis Arraez still expected to get plenty of at-bats in a super-utility role.
The Los Angeles Angels acquired Simmons in November 2015 — as the first major move by former general manager Billy Eppler — by sending fellow shortstop Erick Aybar and top prospect Sean Newcomb to the Atlanta Braves.
Simmons batted .281/.328/.394 in his five seasons with the Angels, compiling 36 homers, 112 doubles and 15.4 FanGraphs wins above replacement, ninth-most among 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 RBIs in 1060 games with the Braves and Angels.
ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.