Andrelton Simmons, Cubs Reportedly Agree to 1-Year, $4M Contract

Veteran shortstop Andrelton Simmons has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Chicago Cubs.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal first reported the two sides were nearing a deal. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the one-year deal will be worth $4 million plus incentives. 

Cubs fans who want Carlos Correa don't need to give up hope with Simmons set to join the team, according to Rosenthal:

The 32-year-old signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2021 season. The Twins were coming off their second straight American League Central title, so Simmons was a sensible addition to fortify the infield.

Unfortunately for both parties, they endured a year that fell well short of expectations. Minnesota finished last in the division at 73-89, and Simmons experienced his worst season in MLB. 

The four-time Gold Glove winner has long been valued more for his defense than his offense. Prior to last season, teams could at least expect him to get on base at a healthy rate and collect a solid number of extra-base hits. From 2013 to '19, he averaged 25 doubles per season and had a .315 on-base percentage, according to Baseball Reference.

Those numbers would've been a big upgrade over what he actually delivered in Minneapolis.

Simmons batted .223 and had a .283 on-base percentage in 131 appearances. Among 188 batters with at least 400 plate appearances, his .274 slugging percentage was the second-lowest in the majors, per FanGraphs.

He struck out in 13.7 percent of his at-bats and owned a .252 weighted on-base average. For some perspective, the latter number falls nearly 40 points below the threshold FanGraphs deems "awful."

Not surprisingly, Simmons remains a plus defender. He ranked tied for fifth in MLB in outs above average (16), according to Statcast. He set such a high standard for himself in his prime that he'd still remain elite with the glove when he inevitably begins to decline a bit.

Simmons was so bad offensively that expecting a level of regression to the mean is reasonable for Chicago. But some of his advanced metrics point to a sustained trend over multiple years, per Baseball Savant:

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Exit Velocity

• 2018: 88.2 mph
• 2019: 87.8 mph
• 2020: 86.5 mph
• 2021: 84.1 mph

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Expected Batting Average

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Expected Slugging Percentage

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The addition of Simmons immediately improves the left side of the Cubs' infield defensively. If his offensive contributions continue along their current path, then they may be faced with a dilemma about utilizing him as an everyday option at shortstop.

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Regardless of what could happen with Correa, the Cubs needed to add more infield depth. Their current shortstop depth chart has Nico Hoerner penciled in as the starter, with Sergio Alcantara on the bench. 

At this stage of his career, Simmons is best used as a backup defensive player. He has the glove to play shortstop at a high level, but his offensive decline makes it difficult for him to start 150 games.