Cubs Sign SS Andrelton Simmons to One-Year Deal

The Cubs have signed a shortstop, just not the one everybody’s been talking about. They have inked defensive specialist Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $4 million deal that includes incentives, so not exactly a cornerstone move. The 32-year-old spent last season with the Twins, batting .223 with a 56 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR that was buoyed by strong glovework.

Andrelton Simmons to Cubs. $4M plus incentives.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 11, 2022

Simmons makes sense as a backup in the event that the Cubs end up getting splashy and pursuing Carlos Correa or Trevor Story, and you could even massage this into looking good because their staff will need a very strong defense. Simmons was a premier shortstop for a while with the Angels, particularly in 2017 and ’18 when he paired above-average offensive output with incredible play in the field.

Those days may be gone, but shortstop is an area where the Cubs needed to improve and this gives them solid depth with very little risk. If Simmons ends up being the everyday shortstop, well, that could be…interesting