Andrelton Simmons Rumors: Reds Among 'Many Teams' Interested in FA SS

The Cincinnati Reds are reportedly among the teams that have shown interest in free-agent shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Reds are only one of "many teams" interested in the defensive stalwart.

Simmons, 31, is set to enter his 10th MLB season and has spent the past five campaigns with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Curacao native has been among the league's preeminent defensive shortstops since he broke in with the Atlanta Braves in 2012.

Although Simmons has never been named an All-Star, he is a four-time Gold Glover, a one-time Platinum Glove award winner and a one-time winner of the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award.

Simmons has also been a much better offensive player during the second half of his career than he was during the first.

He broke out in 2017 when he hit .278 with 14 home runs and a then-career high 69 RBI. He also set personal bests with 77 runs scored and 19 stolen bases, finishing eighth in the American League MVP voting.

Simmons posted similar numbers the following season, hitting .292 with 11 homers, 75 RBI and 68 runs scored.

His production dipped to .264 with seven home runs and 40 RBI in 2019, but he bounced back a bit last season by hitting a career-best .297 over 30 games during the COVID-19-shortened campaign.

Any team that signs Simmons will primarily do so to improve their defense up the middle. The Reds are a candidate to do just that, as their primary shortstop last season was Freddy Galvis, who had minus-1 defensive runs saved at the position, per Baseball Reference.

Galvis also hit just .220 last season, so Simmons would represent an offensive upgrade as well, making him an obvious target for Cincinnati.

The Reds went 31-29 in 2020 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

If Cincinnati is going to repeat as a playoff team, maintaining last season's .986 fielding percentage—which ranked fifth in MLB—will be paramount.