The Los Angeles Angels have pulled off one of the biggest moves of the offseason so far as they acquired shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.
Simmons, known as a defensive wizard, is signed through 2020. The 26-year-old is set to make $6 million next season, and then $8 million, $11 million, $13 million, and $15 million in his final season.
Simmons has seen his offensive production drop off since a rookie season when he batted .289 with a .751 OPS in 2012. He hit 17 home runs the following year, but that dropped to seven and then four last season.
Since they are getting a shortstop under team control for the next several years, the Angels no longer have a need for Erick Aybar, who’s entering the final year of his contract. The 31-year-old is making $8.5 million and hit .270 with three home runs last year, also a drop from his previous numbers.
Perhaps the biggest jewel in the trade for Atlanta is prospect Sean Newcomb. A first-round pick (15th overall) by the Angels in 2014, Newcomb had an excellent year in the minors last season. He went 9-3 over three different stops, with an ERA no higher than 2.75 at any of the three levels. Newcomb has posted an 11.9 Ks/9 inning ratio during his brief minor league career.
Reports also say that Chris Ellis is headed to Atlanta. He was a third-round pick by the Angels in 2014 and has gone 11-10 with a 4.21 ERA in the minors.
Newcomb and Ellis were regarded as the top two pitchers in the Angels’ system, which may say more about the team’s system as it does about how good of a haul the Braves got.
