MESA, Ariz. — The Chicago Cubs needed a veteran infielder, and they landed one of the best defensive players available.
The Cubs agreed to a one-year contract with shortstop Andrelton Simmons on Friday worth $4 million plus incentives, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The team has not announced the deal.
Simmons, a four-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, will boost the middle infield defense and give manager David Ross injury insurance and options with Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal expected to get regular time at shortstop and second base, respectively.
Both young infielders are coming off injury-plagued seasons. Madrigal tore his right hamstring in June and missed the rest of the season. Hoerner dealt with three separate injuries (right forearm strain, left hamstring strain and right oblique strain) in 2022, finishing with only 170 plate appearances in 44 games.
Solidifying the infield defense is important behind a pitching staff that projects to rely on ground-ball outs for success, particularly Kyle Hendricks, Marcus Stroman and Wade Miley. Stroman had the 11th-highest ground-ball rate (50.8%) among 68 major league pitchers with at least 100 innings in 2021, while Miley ranked 13th (49.4%) and Hendricks 32nd (43.1%). The Cubs were roughly at the league average in advanced defensive metrics last season.
Simmons’ 15 defensive runs saved were second by a shortstop behind the Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa in 2021. But he likely won’t add much offensively. The 32-year-old’s production has declined steadily over the last three years and he’s coming off a .233/.283/.274 line with a 57 OPS+ with the Minnesota Twins.
After watching big league batting practice at the Cubs complex Friday, manager David Ross was asked whether he had any shortstops in mind for the team to sign.
“Well, there’s a good one behind me that’s been there,” said Ross, referring to Hoerner. “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. But hopefully soon we’ve got some different news for you.”
