What Should the Twins Do With Andrelton Simmons?

We should trade him for whatever we can get! If we have to eat some salary in order to get a better prospect than so be it!

The Twins do not need any more AA or AAA career minor league players. While I was steadfastly opposed to adding Simmons last winter because a healthy Polanco is a key for the Twins, the best course of action now is to stay with Simmons unless a useful player is offered in a trade. If a prospect with real talent can be pried loose, go for it, but otherwise the Twins need to stop adding useless players.

Polanco, similar but different move to 2B is much like Mauer's initial move to 1B, it takes time to adjust. He has flashed real ability at the position but it still takes time to settle in.  He needs time, he's already flashed.

Simmons was a smart signing at the time. His offensive  numbers, lest we forget, improved the past few seasons. And again, less we forget, were well above average or his career numbers when the season started. Of course, regression was in order. But coming off his IL time, his offense has been at an All time low and I'm not sure the defense has been quite the same. Has he lost interest? Or is he just struggling?

I still like the plan of Polanco being a 2B with Arraez being a versatile utility player. But it does kill me amongst everything that has gone wrong in 2021m that Galvis with the Orioles looks like he could have been the better signing. (Sigh) I ABSOLUTELY believe Lewis has everything needed to be a quality ML SS with premium offense and at least decent if not good defense. But we can't deny he's at least a year away now due to injury.

I could be WAY WRONG, but it just feels like Simmons isn't a "fit". As if he and the Twins just don't mesh well on a "personality" level. And maybe it's just a bad year for everyone. The Twins need a SS for 2022 and maybe Simmons just loves being here and will re-sign. But I'm starting to think he might need to move on and the Twins need to find another option for next year.

If he's actually happy here, then keep him. Use your payroll for other spots. Plug him in at SS for one more year and worry about the rest of the roster. Even with diminishing skills he's still a solid SS. Otherwise, get what you can and let's see what happens in the off-season. 

Trade for a marginal prospect at the deadline that will never see the light of day in the MLB but will save to FO money....

that is what WILL happen, so not much thought about what we would like to see happen necessary

I would be sad if we keep him.

I've watched the majority of the games.  His arm sucks.  He makes a lot of mistakes that don't show up in the stats like dropping cutoff throws.  Plus his baserunning is terrible.  Hard to believe some stats show him to be solid at SS.  That is not how I'd describe him. 

He is not part of the future.  He is instead, just a part of a losing ball club.  Give the reps to someone else that might have a future with us.

Not a fan. 

4 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

The Twins do not need any more AA or AAA career minor league players. While I was steadfastly opposed to adding Simmons last winter because a healthy Polanco is a key for the Twins, the best course of action now is to stay with Simmons unless a useful player is offered in a trade. If a prospect with real talent can be pried loose, go for it, but otherwise the Twins need to stop adding useless players.

Drafting and trading for prospects is getting a quite a few useless players. The crapshoot is finding the good player

If Royce Lewis hadn't been injured I'd say move him. But with the merry-go-round of injuries this year and the lack of depth in the minors for middle infield I'd say keep him. I believe Polonco needs some some stability and to switch him back to short in the middle of the season won't do anything for the team nor for him. They committed to this move and should build upon it for 2022.

Time to move on, if they can find a taker for the contract. Get a couple lower level, but good upside prospects in exchange.  Let Polanco and Gordon handle the position the rest of this year, they won't do any worse than Simmons 

Considering Gordon has looked better than I expected, I would like to see the Twins finish their season with Gordon, Polonco and Arraez manning the two middle infield position.

Expect that some contending team will lose their shortstop sometime over the next seven weeks.  When that happens, the Twins should be able to get a reasonable return and save at least a third of his salary for this year.  As for what is the reasonable return, that's for the professionals who negotiate these deals to determine.

Anyone who is not in the plans for next year or beyond should be up for trades.  Even if you get very little in return, something is better than nothing, unless the team feels keeping them will help with possible development of players to replace them with.  

The Twins will find a team willing to give some value for Simmons.  However, why not trade Berrios for bigger haul with the Cubs.  Berrios on the Cubs would make it easier for the north siders to retain Jose’s brother in law, Javier Baez. 

The Twins will find a team willing to give some value for Simmons.  However, why not trade Berrios for bigger haul with the Cubs.  Berrios on the Cubs would make it easier for the north siders to retain Jose’s brother in law, Javier Baez. 

After watching Simmons and every little thing he brings, I'm pretty confident he's part of the problem and not part of the solution.  The only thing I want back is someone to fill the shortstop gap for the rest of the year.  Someone who tries, someone who hustles, someone who gives a crap about details.  It's really easy to see why the Angels let him go for also-ran Iglesias.  Hey, someone like Iglesias!

After missing this year and last is Royce Lewis really ready to step up?  If not who plays SS?  Not Polanco, Arraez, Gordon - do we sign another one year fill in?  Not really an easy choice.  With Larnach and Kiriloff getting established and hopefully Buxton back we should be better AB, but we need to concentrate on pitching.  

1 hour ago, Dodecahedron said:

When I look at his stats, there are two years where he hit OK, but in every other year he has hit worse than he has this year.  How he is hitting now is the best he has hit in 3 years.  I would say this year is who he is when it comes to hitting.

Also, defensive metrics are hilarious.  A .969 fielding percentage when the league is at a .971 fielding percentage can still work out to 10 outs above average?  How does that work?

Off the top of my head, you get an error for the balls you get to that other people can’t and not make the play, hence a lower %. Outs above average go up for all the plays you do make. 

I'd like to see him traded with Polanco moved back to SS and Nick Gordon manning 2B plus Arraez as super utility. I think that both offensively and defensively, Polanco is a premeir SS when healthy. And he’s starting to look healthy again!

I agree with you.  Those defensive metrics are dubious to me! Simmons doesn’t remind me of any of the great SSs, not even Greg Gagne and afar cry from Ozzie Smith. 

Trading Simmons shouldn't be about what you can get for him, it should be about where you have someone younger with a possible future that you want to put into that position or, potentially, if moving someone you have opens up a spot for that younger player with a future. We are going nowhere this year so keeping around a one year rental player isn't a smart move unless we plan on also having him next year to keep the spot warm until someone else like Lewis is ready. That's the question. If we got somebody else who could benefit from the reps, trade Simmons for whatever you can get. If not, we have to seriously look at trying to keep him beyond this year because we have no one else.

I would like to see Polanco and Gordon man the SS spot in the 2nd half of the season and trade Simmons for what we can get, even if its just a couple of A ball guys.  I know Polanco is stretched at SS, but we did win 2 division championships with him playing that position every day. I've heard that Gordon is also stretched at SS, but I'd like to see him get the opportunity to see if he can be the bridge to someone in 2-3 years. This year is about retooling for next year so unless were planning on having Simmons as our SS for next year I think we should move him and try what we have.  

I don’t want to trade our #1 pitching commodity on a pitching deprived Twins team already. If they just can’t sign him, then I guess they would have to. They need to step up on both Buxton and Berrios.

The thing to me is not this year. If you think this year, the answer is obvious, trade for what you can get. But, what is the depth for the position in the minors? Is Lewis going to be ready when he comes back? People recover from ACLs but it takes a while to get the same flexibility and trust in your knee. And for all what I read, Gordon is not someone who you can put as a SS everyday. I know that he has a 1 year contract, but you can keep him one more year of the team we'll have to find another SS stopgap for next year.

4 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

I would sign a free agent to a multi-year deal and plan on Lewis in CF in 2023 after Buxton leaves in FA. 

Interesting idea.  I have read it hear before, but his time in CF is as miniscule as Gordons.  Is he really a bad SS?  How do we know?  Next year is going to be the big SS auction from what I have read.  Will we participate?

I don't know, I have a feeling I am going to be a majority of one here, but I would sign him to an extension.  Seriously.  31 isn't THAT old, and I have seen enough injuries taking a player out for an entire season to know a percentage don't come back all the way.  Add to that the fact that the minor league season was wiped out last year, and Lewis won't have played any length of time in 2 years.  He may need a lot more seasoning if he comes back at full strength at all.  And he is young enough to give him time to take that seasoning (as well as the team keeping control of him longer).  We didn't sign Simmons for his bat, and his glove will be good for at least a couple of more years.  A 2 year extension at a fair price (if he will even sign it), and see how the heir comes along.