MESA, ARIZ. – The Cubs have a new shortstop.
Free agent Andrelton Simmons has agreed to a one-year contract with the Cubs for $4 million plus incentives, the Sun-Times confirmed. The club was in need of at least middle infield depth coming out of the Major League Baseball lockout.
MLB Networks’ Jon Heyman was first to report the details of Simmons’ deal.
Simmons, 32, is a four-time gold glover. But he struggled at the plate for the Twins last season, slashing .223/.283/.274. He holds a career .264 batting average.
Simmons adds a veteran presence and defensive prowess to the Cubs’ middle infield. With him, plus middle infielder Nico Hoerner’s ability to play outfield, the Cubs have added flexibility to work in rest days for Hoerner and second baseman Nick Madrigal.
Both have shown plenty of potential but also battled injuries last season. Madrigal sustained a season-ending hamstring tear in June. Hoerner made three trips to the injured list, for forearm, oblique and hamstring injuries, respectively.
The size of Simmons’ contract still leaves room for the Cubs to add at the shortstop position if they chose to do so.
With rumors swirling about the Cubs’ interest in top free agent shortstop Carlos Correa, Cubs manager David Ross was asked Friday morning if he had any shortstops in mind for the club to add.
“There’s a good one behind me that’s been there,” he said of Hoerner, who was working out on the nearby baseball diamond. “So, really I leave that stuff up to the front office, and we communicate regularly, and they’re up there in their offices kind of hunkered down and working on filling out the rest of the roster.”
