For five years, the Los Angeles Angels had no worries with one of baseball’s premier positions, as the shortstop role was locked in by Andrelton Simmons. The Angels acquired Simmons from the Atlanta Braves in November of 2015, and he instantly made his mark with both his bat and his glove.
Over his five years in Anaheim, Simmons would win two Gold Glove awards, finish top two in defensive WAR three times and have a top-10 MVP finish in 2017. His tenure with the Angels ended abruptly when he chose to walk away from the team prior to the end of the 2020 season and was granted free agency shortly after. He played for the Minnesota Twins in 2021 and the Chicago Cubs for a portion of 2022.
Now, Simmons is reportedly calling it a career after 11 years in the big leagues, according to Jared Tims:
Former #Angels SS Andrelton Simmons has announced his retirement
— Jared Tims (@Jared_Tims) December 26, 2023
Simmons ends his career as arguably one of the greatest defensive shortstops the game of baseball has ever seen. For his career, he won four Gold Glove awards, a Platinum Glove and was named Wilson’s best overall defensive player in 2015. He racked up an absurd 201 defensive runs saved over his 11 seasons in the Majors.
He spent time with the Angels, Twins, Cubs and Braves but saw his most successful time frame between 2013 and 2017 with the Braves and Angels. His slightly below league average bat will likely keep him out of serious Hall of Fame contention, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make the ballot at some point. He collected 37.1 wins above replacement for his career.
Angels checking in on Teoscar Hernandez
Teoscar Hernandez has been one of baseball’s most consistent producers over the last four seasons. He burst onto the scene with the Toronto Blue Jays in the shortened 2020 season by posting a .919 OPS and winning a Silver Slugger award. But of course he, like many other 2020 stars, had to prove it wasn’t a fluke. He did so by hitting 32 home runs, collecting 116 RBI and posting an .870 OPS in 2021, winning a Silver Slugger and being named an All-Star for his efforts.
He has been solid in the two years since, seeing a bit of a downturn after being dealt to the Seattle Mariners ahead of the 2023 campaign. But he is now a marquee free agent, and one the Angels have reportedly checked in on, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
As active as the Angels are in the trade market, it behooves them to check in on most of the top remaining free agents, and they are doing that, from left-hander Blake Snell to outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
