6:01pm: The Angels have placed Simmons on the restricted list and selected infielder Elliot Soto in a corresponding move. Soto, whom the Angels signed to a minor league contract last offseason, is a former Cubs, Marlins and Rockies farmhand who has batted .272/.346/.389 in 1,323 Triple-A plate appearances.
5:29pm: Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons announced Tuesday that he has opted out of the remainder of the season.
“At this moment, I feel this is the best decision for me and for my family,” Simmons said in part to Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times. “We don’t know what the future holds, but we would like to sincerely thank the Angels organization and Angels fans for welcoming and making us feel at home.”
Simmons’ decision comes amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns that have caused others to opt out, though the 31-year-old has played the majority of the 2020 campaign. He spent time on the injured list with a sprained left ankle but has otherwise appeared in 30 games and slashed a respectable .297/.346/.356 in 127 plate appearances. That represents a nice bounce-back effort by Simmons, who was unable to complement his superlative defense with a decent offensive showing during an injury-limited 2019.
Of course, considering he’s a pending free agent, Simmons’ time with the out-of-contention Angels may be over. He originally joined the Angels in a trade with the Braves prior to the 2016 season, and while Simmons has been quite successful since then (15.5 fWAR in 2,281 plate appearances), the Angels haven’t gone to the playoffs since they acquired him.
Going forward, the Angels could try to re-sign Simmons or even issue him a qualifying offer before potentially losing him in free agency during the upcoming offseason. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him reach the open market unfettered. Simmons is on track to join Marcus Semien and Didi Gregorius as the best shortstops available in free agency.
Probably smart at this point.
Looks kind of bad to opt out with 1 week left.
or he came in contact with a presumed case and is opting out to save face and teammates
Money, that makes as much sense as anything else.
If he was in contact with a presumed case, wouldn’t there need to be tracing and quarantining of players he was subsequently in contact with? Sounds to me that he and his family are just tired or there are other personal/family issues that need his presence. At this stage, it’s best for the team too.
He would need to “save face” because he came into contact with a person who has COVID-19? Makes no sense. Go on the COVID IL, collect your remaining pay, and call it a season.
Why should he risk his future earning potential by playing? Especially with the disaster that is the US?
He may have heard about the likely “twindemic,” this fall.
@Down with OBP why did he even play risking his future earning potential? US is a disaster because of people like him decided to risk everyone’s lives because he wants money. Everyone in MLB are clearly POS which explains why they played and not in a bubble like NBA/NHL.
Seriously just shut up,
We all deserve to go broke and lose everything so Grandma can play bingo.
holecames35 – My mother does not play bingo and she is a very healthy vibrant 91. As a first generation Italian American she grew up a big fan of Joe DiMaggio. Looks 20 years younger. Ageism is just like racism. Haters gotta hate.
Plus, @wiffleball, you’re mad because MLB actually is getting through the season. Admit it. 😉
It would appear *really* mad.
That’s a pretty gross comment there, bud.
Ageism is not remotely like racism. I am a senior white male and never had my pursuit of happiness obstructed due to the color of my skin.
A 30 team tournament. Where teams are playing everyday. In a bubble. You are not very smart person, are you, Johnny?
Darth NHL did 24 team in a bubble. Considering baseball kept It geographically they could host it in Ny,Missouri,Chicago,LA. Baseball had a 60 game season even thou under this format doubleheader’s easily could’ve happened
He used the wrong word. Both are forms of discrimination.
Johnnydubz was it going to be easy? Three hub cities for 10 teams?
Exactly how would two ballparks fill up to 5 games per day, and why would you call that easy? Newsflash, baseball was the one sport where a bubble would have been difficult to pull off.
Baseball already wound up with as many doubleheaders as it could handle just from rescheduling the many postponements. They couldn’t afford to schedule a bunch of doubleheaders from the very beginning.
Tell me about your 47 year old brother friend. We had someone in their 40 die in our neighborhood. He was high risk and he died in March. The entire house got it,
Without knowing anything about your 47 year old friend’s it’s an irrelevant piece of data. And if a 47 year old is high risk, they need to quarantine, and if they don’t… that’s their risk.
By the way, I agree on McGriff.
It’s really sad how his hitting just refuses to come around. If he was even 10% above league average with the bat he’d be a hall of famed.
True, but his bat isn’t THAT bad in the category of glove-first SS. He’s not Rafael Belliard or Rey Ordonez.
Saying that makes it sound like he was once a good hitter and you’re waiting for him to return to form. He’s just not a good hitter and never will be. At his best he was league average.
He’s hitting 297. I’m not really sure what else you want from the best fielding shortstop on the planet.
His OPS+ is 95 so still 5% below average. Ironically his defense this year hasn’t been anything special as his oWAR is ahead of his dWAR.
Andrelton Simmons has a better career OPS+ than Omar Vizquel or Ozzie Smith. One is a Hall of Famer and the other probably will be. I don’t know if Simmons will be, but if not, it won’t be because of his bat.
eli_b_wcl
If you are going to use stats like OPS+ use wRC+. It’s better. He’s 99. This year he’s a league average hitter.
I think most people would agree he’s the best defensive shortstop on the planet. I was happy with him playing short.
Stop with the stupid stats. If Simmons returns to his usual defense and performs another 10 -15 years at that level, he’s in the conversation.
You really want to do this? I replied to a comment about his offense and lack thereof. Unless you’re stuck in the stone ages, you should know that a players batting average doesn’t tell the whole offensive story. Do I really have to explain that to you?
He’s got a 702 ops and a 95 ops+.
Briffle, The comment wasn’t directed at you. It was directed at eli_b_wcl
He’s not a good hitter, but he’s a shortstop. Most shortstop are not “good” hitters. Lindor and Swanson are not 10% above league average this year.
I really don’t mind the best defensive shortstop on the planet having a wRC+ of 99. Omar Vizquel couldn’t carry Simmons’ jock and his wRC+ lifetime was 83 and some people consider him a hall of famer. Ozzie Smith wRC+ was 90.
Context is a good thing.
Vizquel and Simmons batting lines are very similar. Vizquel’s lower OPS+ compared to Simmons can be attributed to Vizquel playing the majority of his career during the steroid era, lowering his value as a hitter at the time, but when you actually compare the offensive stats, the two are very similar.
Simmons has a little more power, but I’d say Vizquel is the better hitter overall and if I had to choose between the two for offense I’m choosing Vizquel, no question. Obviously Simmons is still playing, but he’s probably past whatever offensive peak he was capable of. Vizquel’s peak from 96 to 02 is better than Simmons two year decent run.
Just compare the numbers to see the effect of the steroid era. Simmons had an OPS+ of 102 and 108 in 17 and 18 with OPS’ of 752 and 754. Vizquel had an OPS of 779 in 96 and his OPS+ was only 98, he was actually below league average. 96 was the year Brady Anderson hit 50 bombs, just for context.
Smith, Vizquel, and Simmons all have similar batting lines and bb/k rates, but the big difference is that Vizquel and Smith stole a lot of bases, making them valuable leadoff hitters. I wouldn’t want Simmons leading off or batting second. Not much power, and being able to not strike out doesn’t help if you don’t get on base a lot or steal bases.
Good point about the steroid era, however do you know that Vizquel was not part of it? His OPS+ in his 30s was as good if not better than his 20s.
His OPS+ in his 20s was 76.
Cleveland had some suspect guys when Vizquel was with them, but no, he didn’t used steroids.
He hit 294 as a 25 year old with Seattle, the bat control and potential was there. His power didn’t really go up, but his walk rate did, which is natural for the type of hitter he was as he got older and more experienced. Sure you can say his slugging from Seattle to Cleveland went up by 76 points, but that can be attributed to a 31 point rise in his batting average. His isolated power wasn’t much different.
His walks rates in Seattle were 6.5, 6.3, 9.3, 6.1, 7.9. In Cleveland his first year was 7.1 then the next ten seasons they were between 8.4 and 12.1, with the median probably around 9.5.
A lot of teams would kill for a leadoff hitter like Vizquel in his prime, 280/350 on base with 35 steals.
Briffle
My guess is he did. Taking PEDs was prevalent and players who were trying to hang on and make teams used them as much as anyone. After all, they were competing against players who were taking them.
I’m not going to get into who was a better hitter, it’s not important to me. As an Angel fan, i have never enjoyed watching a shortstop play defense as much as I’ve enjoyed watching Simmons. That goes as far back as Fregosi. Schofield was close, but no one was as easy on the eyes and Simmons.
Stats this year mean less than usual. I’m old school. BA, RBIs, runs scored and the little things that don’t show up in the saberstats like being able to bunt when needed or move the man over to third with no outs. Also does the player perform better in the clutch or is the production mainly add on stats when the game is already over. Eyes have as much value as anything so use them on the field as compared to just reading stats. I don’t know his sabermetrics but from what I saw on the field, Thurman Munson for example did more than enough to be in the HOF. Unfortunately, he had few friends in the writers’ room. Diana Munson said it best when there was talk about bending the rules to let him in immediately after his tragic accident (like with Puckett). She said he wouldn’t have wanted rules to be adjusted for him and refused to allow it. Even the writers who despised him then likely would have voted for him on emotions. Hopefully before her time on this earth ends, he’ll have his plaque in Cooperstown along with Evans, Tiant, Kaat and McGriff to name a few.
Munson should be in the Hall of Fame.
Can’t assume he played clean since Vizquel played into his 40s and played during the steroid era. BTW We’re still in the steroid era.
You can’t assume he took it just because he played during the steroid era and had a long career. Do you have a single shred of any evidence that he took it?
That’s all baseless assumptions. According to your criteria, everyone that played during the steroid era and had a long career was on the steroids then. Greg Maddux was on steroids. Hell, so was Smoltz and Glavine. Vizquel held on for so many years because he could still play defense and he was basically a player/coach.
This isn’t the steroid era, at least not like it was in the mid-to-late 90’s/early 2000’s with the offensive output (and that is what I was referring to). All you need to do is look at the runs per game from 94 to the early 2000’s and compare it to the last 10 years.
From 94-01, the average runs per game in the MLB was 4.9. From 13-20 the average runs per game was 4.4. A half a run per game doesn’t sound like a lot, but on average there’s about 4,860 MLB games a season, so that’s a difference of 2,430 runs.
Briffle
You can’t assume he took PEDs, but you can’t assume he didn’t. You would make a lot of money betting a player was chemically dependent who hit better in their 30s than their 20s .
There is only one player of that era who I strongly believe was clean, and that’s David Eckstein. Not because he was a saint, but because he was donating his kidney after his career was over.
You guys are just being ridiculous with this. We obviously can’t say for certain for a lot of players whether or not they took steroids’, but get serious. You sound like nut jobs by basically eluding to the idea that everyone was on steroids’ and we can’t ever say that certain players didn’t take them. If he was on them someone would have said something or he would’ve been mentioned at some point like the hundreds of other players who used them or were suspected of using them that have been mentioned in the various books or reports. At this point, you’re just arguing to argue. The only argument you’ve made is “well, you can’t prove he didn’t take it”. You’ve brought up no actually evidence or argument for why you think he took them.
Vizquel’s average went up along with his walk rate, that’s the only statistical improvement he made from his mid 20’s into his 30’s. It’s not like the guy all of a sudden became a power hitter or his production severely dropped off (which would indicate he was on them, then stopped as testing came around). He never had any injury problems as well, which is common for those who were using then stopped.
Point to any of his stats that indicate he benefitted from steroids. Are you saying because he hit .291 in 2004 at the age of 37, or when he hit .295 when he was 39? The difference between what Vizquel did in 2004 to 2005 (when he hit 271) was 11 hits. That’s two hits a month difference over the course of a season. For a contact hitter like Vizquel that’s two lucky bounces a month difference.
He still had an average around the .260’s in the second half of his career, but his OPS wasn’t close to the same. 731 OPS with Cleveland in his age 27-37 years, after that he had a 671 OPS with SF, 647 with CHW, 660 with TEX, and 546 with TOR, which covered eight seasons and ages 38-45. So, yes, he continued to play for a long time, but it’s obvious that his offensive skills naturally declined as he got older. Where’s the evidence that he was juicing?
And of the 11 seasons he had with Cleveland, four of them he had an OPS below 700. Any statistical variation in his numbers can be attributed to a declare in his batting average. 11 hits in 570 at bats is a 20 point difference.
You’d lose a lot of money betting against steroid use for players who hit better in their 30s than their 20s.
That should be obvious.
And no one in their right mind would rule it out.
You have no argument, you have no evidence or support. Again, your only argument is that I can’t prove he didn’t do it, which is no argument at all. I have provided plenty of support and statistical evidence that he didn’t use steroids.
You once again show you don’t know squat about baseball.
You don’t know the difference between evidence and proof and you are the only one making absolute statements.
Evidence, players typically don’t hit better in their 30s then they do in their 20s. Evidence, it was the PED era.
You believe you have evidence? OK.. Fine you have evidence.
I suspect he was on PEDs, you suspect he wasn’t. But I have to believe what you believe or you go crazy. Wow, what must it be like to live in that world where everyone has to agree with you?
On the contrary, I’m happy you don’t agree with me. If you agreed with me then I would be worried, because you are absolutely clueless, and I wouldn’t want to be on any side you are on.
You keep saying he hit better in his 30’s than his 20’s like he was Bonds going from being a .900ish OPS guy to a 1.300 OPS guy in his late 30’s. Vizquel went from .612 with Seattle to .731 with Cleveland and then hit well below .700 OPS the rest of his career, wow he really was on steroids, that’s a huge difference. I mean it’s crazy that the guy had a normal bell curve graph of offensive production during his career, but you know, chalk it up to steroids.
I mean, I guess it couldn’t be explained by him increasing his walk rate and his batting average. Or, you know, how a lot of players hit better in their prime years from 27-32 than they do in their early 20’s, especially for a twig defense first guy like Vizquel whose offense needs to catch up to his defense as he gets older and stronger. It’s amazing how Vizquel was able to still draw walks as he got older, unlike when he was younger, and still able to make contact. And as you know (or probably don’t) when you make a lot of contact and don’t strike out, over the course of 600 at bats, you’ll have your fair share of lucky bounces, seeing eye singles, and defensive miscues which helps maintain a decent average.
BTW, how is Teheran doing?
Tehran is doing terrible. By the way, did you learn how to google yet?
So, I say I believe he took PEDs and you can’t stand it. All this vitriol because I believe he did? Wow.
I see you haven’t learned to just walk away from an argument when you’re dead wrong. I bet you’d argue with me if I said the sky was blue. LAA should consult with you for who they should go after this off-season, at least they’ll know which players will be complete busts and can avoid them.
Argument? That’s your problem right there.
You believe one thing, which is completely fine by me. But I can’t have a different opinion?
I’m not arguing with you. I’m not trying to change your mind. What I can’t understand is how you are so sure he didn’t.
I typed something up, but I’ve had my fill with your dum dumness, and I’ll just say one more thing.
The “you can’t prove it” or “how can you be so sure” statements are the lowest of the low, that’s a Flat Earther statement. I went into great detail about how I am so sure he didn’t take steroids. You said two things: you can’t know for sure, and he hit better in his 30’s than his 20’s.
You have a different opinion, that’s fine. You posted it on a website designed for people to discussion and debate. You don’t want that, don’t post your opinion, or stop going back in forth and claim that you’re not arguing for your opinion.
I’ll see you in the off-season, curious to see what your “opinions” are.
If I don’t share the same opinion, I’m a “Flat Earther” Oh my god.
What did you write? “I see you haven’t learned to just walk away from an argument when you’re dead wrong.”
Because I don’t share your opinion, I’m dead wrong. Wow. I’m laughing my head off. No one else is interested in this, not even me.
You take whatever last word you want.
Apparently you don’t know how to read either!
I said your statements are the same type made by Flat Earthers.
Show me where I said that if you don’t share the same opinion as me that you’re a Flat Earther.
You act as though a player hits 30 and they suddenly leave their prime, that’s simply not the case. Player’s primes can extend until 32-33. It’s not as if Vizquel hit 30 and continued to get better into his late 30s. He actually followed a pretty typical career arc in terms of peak. His offensive peak was from 29-33.
Vizquel’s batting career follows a similar path to Yadi’s (so I guess Yadi is a user too). They made the bigs on the power of their defense (at 22 and 21 respectively) but were abysmal hitters. Similar to Vizquel, Yadi’s offensive peak was from around 28-33. It’s not outlandish at all for those to be ‘peak’ years, with the majority occurring in their 30s.
So the reality is they were defense first players who came up before the bats were ready and learned how to hit as they aged. Cite it as ‘evidence’ of PED use if you want but it is not compelling in the least.
Joe, you make good points.
You say this… .
“So the reality is they were defense first players who came up before the bats were ready and learned how to hit as they aged.”
That’s a good point, and it’s logical.
Baffle stated this: “Obviously Simmons is still playing, but he’s probably past whatever offensive peak he was capable of. ”
That is also logical.
And I said this.
Using OPS+. Vizquel was a better hitter at 35 than at any point in his 20s. Vizquel was a better hitter at 37 than at any point in his 20s. At 39, he was a better hitter only twice in his 20s. All of which I find that suspicious
Which is again, logical.
However, if you believe defensive first players develop at a different rate, then I don’t know how anyone can say Simmons has “probably’ hit his offensive peek. It’s not consistent.
You realize Joe supported me point to point? So if you agree with him, you agree with me, because the quote you have from Joe I had already said. Here’s a quote from me a couple posts up.
“Or, you know, how a lot of players hit better in their prime years from 27-32 than they do in their early 20’s, especially for a twig defense first guy like Vizquel whose offense needs to catch up to his defense as he gets older and stronger.
Thank you for agreeing with me.
I agree with you that Simmons has probably hit his offensive peek.
I agree with Joe, that it is indeed possible that defensive first players age differently.
And of course Vizquel hitting better at 37 than at any point in his 20s is suspicious.
However, I have no idea how anyone can believe Simmons has probably hit his offensive peak and Vizquel having his better offensive year at 37 than at anytime in his 20s is not suspicious? They both can’t be true.
Is Vizquel aging process an anomaly or is it not? And if it’s not an anomaly, then why do you say Simmons has probably hit his peak?
“However, if you believe defensive first players develop at a different rate, then I don’t know how anyone can say Simmons has “probably’ hit his offensive peek. It’s not consistent.”
Of course players develop at different rates, are you kidding me? Lol.
Just because Vizquel had his best offensive seasons in his late 20s to mid 30s doesn’t mean that I should believe that the same will happen with Simmons. What kind of dumb logical is that?
You judge a player on his own merits. Joe was making a comparison between two similar players, it doesn’t mean the same is going to happen for Simmons.
Do you believe Simmons bat is going to come alive in his early to mid 30s and he’ll become a consistent above average hitter?
I believe what I said.
Simmons has probably hit is peak because it’s rare for players to hit better in their 30s than in their 20s.
I agree that average Joe has a point, you can’t look at defensive first players the same way.
But anyone who believes the later would not have made the statement you made about Simmons. And anyone who believes the former would not totally accept Vizquel being a better hitter at 37 than in his 20s.
I think Simmons has probably hit his offensive peak and I think a player who does hit better at 37 than at any point in his 20s during the PED era is suspicious.
At least I’m consistent. It seems like you want to have it both ways.
You’re flubbing the numbers.
Vizquel at 29: 297, 362, 417 (779 ops)
Vizquel at 37: 291, 353, 388 (741 ops)
His ops+ was 1 point higher in his age 37 season. We’ve already talked about this, but it’s the steroid factor. Obviously he hit better at age 29, the league was just better offensively overall that season (steroids) which is why his OPS+ is lower. You’re hanging your hat on Vizquel having a similar season at age 37 that he did in his prime.
It’s called forming an opinion based on data and observations for an individual player. I’m not making blanket statements about players like you are. I don’t think every single player who had a decent season at an older age is a steroid user. It’s not being inconsistent, it’s judging each player individually on his own merits.
Chipper Jones won a batting title and had his highest OPS+ at age 36, after years of battling injuries. Obviously he used steroids that season.
Munson was better than the Fisk in the years they played head-to-head. . The only “edge” Fisk had was padding his qualifications by hanging around forever. Man on second or third and less than two outs, give me Munson to drive in the big run. Munson belongs in Cooperstown and I am in no way a Yankees fan
Munson was a much better topic of discussion than whatever Halo and little Brittle were discussing. I see he picked another losing fight. Some can’t play in the sandbox.
Nonetheless, Munson throughout the 70’s was playing on competitive teams putting up very good numbers at the catcher position and made all-star teams. For that era you can argue he was a Top 3 catcher. How he hasn’t received more fanfare is strange considering he was a Yankee.
So Wild Barbara, you agree with Halo then?
You still can’t read, can you? The conversation was done until someone else replied. And now the conversation is done again, because Halo has nothing to comeback to, because he has no point, just like you.
If you say I lost because I couldn’t walk away, what does that say about you? This is what, the second or third post of mine in the last day or so that you’ve tried to attack me. You’re the one following me around commenting on my posts, yet I’m the one that can’t walk away? Right.
Do you enjoy having me living inside your head? I used to think Halo was the biggest dum dum on this site, but Dum Dum Baby Bill takes the cake.
Do you not understand people don’t have to agree or disagree with you? People can just have opinions.
As you stated, it’s improbable for players in their 30s to hit better than their 20s. You used Simmons as an example. You didn’t find Vizquel performing such a feat suspicious. I did… Big Whoop!!!!! Is that really worth more than a dozen posts?
The world does not have to agree or disagree with you, especially when there is no way of knowing. You can have an opinion.
Halo, at this point, we’re going around in circles. I’ve already addressed everything you just said in my posts above. At least you contribute things to this website, even if I disagree with you most of the time. Maybe Teheran will finish strong in his last outing.
Show up and play.
I’d probably want more than an empty average.
Day. He doesn’t strike out, moves runners, runs well. You can do a lot of things with him at the plate.
And he’s the best defensive shortstop on the planet.
Best fielding SS on the planet?
mcmiillan…
Yes. Best fielding shortstop on the planet.
Watching with those Angels goggles on…
Although looks like most sites rank him or Lindor as the best so I guess you have a point….but good luck to him on his next deal, not an ideal year to hit free agency
Are you watching with blinders on?
Are you that familiar with the Japanese, Korean, Cuban, and Mexican leagues to be able to confirm that none of them currently possess a better or equal fielding SS? It’s not likely, but it is possible.
If there was a better fielding shortstop, he’d be here. They don’t exist in the World Baseball Classic
Don’t overlook Nick Ahmed either. He’s roughly Simmons equal at this point.
Starting pitchers can’t go 85 pitches
Relief pitchers are considered “tired” after 25 pitches
It’s common to strike out 200 times in a season
Red Schoendienst struck out 15 times in 695 PA
Position players quit with 1 week left
Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?
Bruh he’s literally a .300 hitter every other season and he finished top 15 in MVP voting twice with the Angels.. The narrative that he’s bad at hitting is old news.
What do you mean he’s literally a .300 hitter every other season? He’s only ever hit above .290 once in his career. He’s not an awful hitter considering the defense he brings, but his bat is not what makes him attractive.
Um, you need to go back and look at his numbers with the Angels. And I’d also look up Ozzie Smith while you’re at it. Any team would take his around average offense on top of his elite defense. It’s shortstop.
Interesting.
Well then. At least he waited until the was healthy and his team was out of the playoffs. Probably says he won’t be a Halo after this. Go get em Fletch
He’s healthy and about to be a free agent in a really tough market.
Damn. That’s really upsetting. Hopefully everything is OK with his family. But damn… He was hitting well. His fielding lately was actually kind of below average, which has been shocking.
So this guy just doesn´t feel like playing because his team sucks and he is not having the greatest season. So he just ditches his team for the last week of the season. Great teammate.
LOL. Imagine being able to completely ignore all the other context around the season.
I think this is an indictment of something going on internally on the Angels. Why say the last part otherwise?
i think eppler wanted to extend him but was over-ridden by arte. and epp leaving also caused him to quit.
Cmon. Hes what 6 days from his first chance at a major contract, he’s made of glass, and the team isn’t going anywhere… But you want him to risk millions to Help the angels go 3-3 in the last week?
He’s way better than stroman. Least he waited to be sure they were out. Stroman qualifies for FA and dips like the next day, for a Mets team that prolly woulda makes the playoffs if he played. Nym has the 3rd best winning percentage for non playoff NL teams. Hard to be mad at Simmons for pulling the plug now. The risk is just too expensive
Lol…3rd best winning percentage for non-playoff teams. That’s a fancy way of saying they are the fourth worst team in the NL.
They are 3.5 games out atm. 6 extra starts from stroman doesn’t at least potentially make it close? I disagree and I’m not a met fan
So, any time a team is out of the playoffs, players should go in the tank to protect themselves? Boy, the would make me want to cough up 75 bucks for a good ticket.
I thought about that too. But you don’t know what other factors went into his decision, so you are reacting like a fan. I get it. But only my great grandparents long dead survived a pandemic like this, so cut him some slack.
This is chicken schit
Think he gets 3/$35M?
Imo, easy he hits 3/35. I think his floor is 3/45, maybe he gets to 4/48 level (lower AAV, another year to win the bidding)
His defense is just too good and there’s a lot of teams that would be happy with a glove first ok bat SS.
Something must be going on behind the scenes. Perhaps we will find out what that is at a later date.
Granted the Angels are not going to make the playoffs, but you don’t walk out on your team with 5 games left and before they are mathematically eliminated.
Hard to believe he will be back next year after walking out on his teammates unless there is more to the story…
I’m banking on tested positive or was on close contact who has and is opting out instead of it coming out
Why would he want to hide that? If he tested positive we’d know about it because Angels games would have been postponed and he’d just go on the IL. There is zero motivation to opt out over a positive and try to cover it up.
He is probably pissed off because Angels have not talked about a contract extension, who knows maybe he found out that there will be no extension and instead will be issuing him a qualifying offer. That would piss me off too!
Well walking out isn’t making the situation any better.
that comment about the angels at the end sure sounds like he’s not coming back to me. Lol
If the Angels had no intention of signing him, they would have traded him.
I hope he’s back.
I hope he’s back, too, Halo11fan. Moves like that would continue to make that disaster of a franchise burn. Paying a 31 year old SS with no bat and slowly but surely declining defensive skills is one of a handful of ways to ensure Trout never sniffs the playoffs again. Can’t believe the best player in baseball signed a 12 year extension with that joke of a franchise.
Anything to do with the final week quarantine for all teams not officially eliminated
Quitter. Regardless of reason – he quit. That in combination of recent sent- he won’t be getting a long contract this offseason.
He quit, but what’s the upside of staying? Respect? If Simmons hasn’t earned the respect of his teammates after four years, he never will. If he has, this isn’t going to change it.
quitter? he’s actually helping the angels possibly getting better picks in the draft.
Vizionaire. The Angels are 12-7 in September. They had a chance to get a really good pick but they screwed it up.
yeah, that’s what i have been saying. quite scoscia years like.
You don’t tank. They’re no guarantees
Red Sox are doing the same thing.
He’s allowing the angels a week to see what they have with him gone. Angels are out of it and need to see if they have a replacement on roster or not.
Day, The Angels have an adequate replacement, but then they have a huge hole at second base. Other than Fletcher, they have no replacement.
I think the Angels know what they have. 5 games isn’t going to tell them what they don’t already know.
The Angels know that despite how talented Simmons is, they can survive and win without him if they focus on other areas of need this offseason.
I think this is an oddly smart move. Angels are out of it, and why risk injury in your last week of meaningless play when you have already compiled a decent season before your trip to free agency. I think that is great for him.
Understandable, but ugly optics. He could have easily told management he didn’t want to risk an injury…with nothing on the line, they probably would have gone along. Teams cooperate with players’ individual goals more often than we think.
But the opt out seems limp, and nothing really good comes from it.
I think it’s bad for baseball to see key players opting out now because their team is out of it. Regardless of record it makes a bad team even more beatable by teams fighting for a playoff spot. But I suppose he has the right. M
Thanks for your service AS. Wished he could have stayed healthier during his time in Anaheim, but he was never ever a disappointment. Dude is an amazing player. Fun to watch
Way to flake and leave your team.. if you were concerned about covid, you would have left a long time ago.. if I am one of the 29 other clubs GM, I have zero interest in this quitter
Maybe tonight and tomorrow easier
Quitter
One MLB player hospitalized due to COVID-19. Simmons could have had the decency to finish the last week.
Opting out of the last handful games seems selfish. Whatever “health concerns” at this point would be moot. Another season marred by injuries is not exactly going to shape well for Simmons’ market moving forward
I see a lot of ragging on Simmons for opting out. In his situation, he has nothing to gain and everything to lose. He gets hurt, no one signs him or he loses a significant amount of money. I won’t comment on how much these guys are making, but with all the injuries this season in the MLB and NFL and the unceteof the market, I don’t have a problem with Simmons protecting himself and his next paycheck.
So it’s not about COVID to you, which I can agree with. He’s definitely not opting out now because of that with 5 games left.
But you’re saying it’s okay for anyone to opt-out if their team is sucking and you’re a free agent at the end of the year?
In that world, he shouldn’t be sprinting to first because he could pull his leg and go on the DL and wreck his stats. He shouldn’t be diving at balls he might error on because it will effect his stats. He also shouldn’t play against aces either. After all, he has to protect himself and his next paycheck.
Totally classless move.
I mean, I’m not going to say he’s lying about Covid because I don’t know his and his families personal situation, but it’s probably a combination of things. I’m sure the risk/reward of continuing to play factored in about the same or more than Covid.
Your comparison using hyperbole isn’t a good one. The guy went out there and played the majority of the season and obviously LAA is going nowhere. He’s had injuries this season and in the past and he’s protecting his and his families future.
His situation isn’t the same as other players. A lot of guys who are about to become free agents have a lot to gain by playing, having a great season, and improving their chances at getting a better contract. What does Simmons have to gain? It’s not like a hot week at the plate will all of a sudden boost his dollar value. Everyone knows what he is and what you’ll get, no point in risking another injury and lowering his value.
Would it have been better for you if he “pulled” a hammy and had to sit the final week?
I don’t think this is classless. What Stroman did was classless.
I don’t think it’s hyperbole. My statement means he walked out on his team. It’s the same (actually worse) as faking an injury or not running out a play. I don’t care if you are on a Sunday softball team or a billion-dollar baseball club, you don’t give up and quit, even if your team is out of it. That’s Roger Dorn stuff. “What do you expect me to do? Dive for it?”
The Angels are going to put a qualifying offer on him and no team will sign him so he’ll be back on a 1 year, ~ $19M contract which will hamstring the Angels ability to spend more this offseason. While I love his defense, I’m not sure he’s worth that amount of money. The shortstop position has changed a lot over the last 10+ years. It has become more of a power position (Story, Boagarts, Correa, Baez, Torres, Didi, Tatis, etc.) than a defensive position so the Angels might be wise to move on from him and look for someone who can contribute more in the batters box for less money. Second base is the last, non-power position left in baseball and that is changing too. Like it or not, such are the results of the launch angle, high K era we are currently in.
I agree, not worth it for that much money. Throw in his injury history and the fact that he’s on the wrong side of 30. When does his defense go? Two years? Four? As soon as his d begins to slip he’ll be useless.
angels need starting pitchers and only them. unfortunately there are hardly any of them.
It’s obvious that the Angels need something of a rebuild. The organization needs to stop dragging its feet in that regard. I expect them to do the opposite by going headlong into this weak pitchers market. They won’t begin to turn the corner until they stop doing that.
The Angels won’t QO him.
Opted out with a week to go and a respectable batting average. Soon he will be a free agent. The only bad thing, he showed his heart to the GM’s that will be looking for a shortstop.
His heart? I don’t get that at all. He’s one of the best ever at what he does. How does your heart compare to his?
Restricted list means he didn’t do it with teams permission.
False. David Price is on the Dodgers’ restricted list and had total permission.
Nah. It’s a procedural move to get his roster spot freed
I am suprised more players have not opted out after last weekend. I anticipated a number of players (older veterans) on teams out of contention to call it a day and go home. They fulfilled their obligations and played no need to take on any more needless risks.
If the “risk” you refer to is the virus, they probably have less risk staying with the team. If the risk is baseball related – well, they signed up for that one. It’s part of the game.
Fulfilling your obligation means you stay until the season ends.
I disagree. Least Simmons has injury concerns for a big contract. Most 36 year olds aren’t getting a 4 year big money deal like Simmons May land
Quite a dagger in the second game of the Phillies doubleheader versus the Nationals. In extra innings, the Phillies scored a run and had the bases loaded with two outs. But Realmuto struck out and Gregorius flew out to strand the runners. Nats’ 32-year-old rookie Yadiel Hernandez then belted his first MLB homer to win it. Hernandez was called up yesterday. He is a Cuban defector who belatedly came to the U.S. to realize his dream of playing in the Majors. Great story for him. Terrible one for the Phillies, who lost both games and are now 27-29.
The Phillies got four outs in the inning?
Sorry. Should have read one out. Thanks for pointing that out. If the Giants win, they will be a game behind the Brewers, Reds, and Giants in a four-way battle for two playoff spots. Not insurmountable but they really could have used a split.
Should be interesting. I think the Brewers are going to squeak in. They could potentially go from the last team in to the 2nd seed in the central.
I agree regarding the Brewers. All that talk about the Reds being a tough out, but I’d hate to face Burnes and Woodruff in a best-of-three. Yelich or someone else getting hot would give them a real shot at advancing. As a Dodgers fan, they’re the #8 contender that I’d least like to face, especially since they haven’t seen this 2020 version of Burnes.
Brewers bullpen has been shaky with Hader at times, but Devin Williams might be the best reliever this season and Hader is still good. They’ve got a few other guys pitching really well and then throw in Knebel as well. I wouldn’t want to face the Brewers down a few runs after the sixth inning.
For sure. Counsel can be unconventional from the dugout, which can also make them a pain to play against. Shorten the game, ride the starting pitching early along with a hot bat or two. I would hate to be sent packing by a Jed Gyorko hot streak, though stranger things have happened in October. Facing a pitching staff you haven’t seen all season will be a concern in some of these best-of-threes. No in-person scouting this season.
Considering the ages of Gregorious, Simmons, and Semien, this winter would be the perfect time for Cleveland to trade Lindor. A good candidate would be Atlanta since they can include Swanson in the return package. Swanson is obviously not comparable to Lindor but is a legitimate starting shortstop who can fill the role if the rest of the package suits the Indians. Imagine Lindor in that Braves lineup? They could let Ozuna go and break in one of the young outfielders.
If the Angels hire Dave Dombrowski as rumored expect a big offer to Didi Gregorious
How high could the offer be? The Angels have $116 million in an annual salary tied to four players and need starting pitching. A trade involving Adell. Marsh or Adams would become a must. Since they would still be an incomplete team, such a trade might do more harm than good.
I am not sure how much pitching help any of those 3 would bring on their own.
Pujols is off the books in a year and the Angeld have almost no money invested in Fletcher, Rengifo, or Barreto at 2B or Stassi or Bemboom at Catcher or even Adell in RF so they could at least offer what Simmons was getting this season and more in subsequent seasons
The Angels are now 3 1/2 back of Houston with 4 games left. Mathematically, they are still alive, but realistically, their odds of making the playoffs are non existent. Having said that, hypothetically, would Simmons ask to opt back in if the Angels made the playoffs?
One week left in the season. Might as well. Probably wouldn’t affect his bottom line in free agency regardless.
Angels aren’t making the postseason anyway. If anything, he’s saving the team money and hopefully opens up playing time for a younger guy.
I like Simmons and I hope we retain him after this year. Perhaps he did this on the advice of his agent to maybe force the Angel’s hand in offering an extension. If they don’t, not a bad idea to not risk injury going into free agency.
Maybe they are talking to LaStella about returning. We need either Simmons or LaStella to join Fletch, Rendon, and Walsh. We don’t have a reasonable option without one or the other. Barreto is a utility guy if he’s healthy.
Bottom line is we don’t need infield holes to distract us from revamping our pitching staff.
He’s probably leaving Anaheim this winter. Although there’s not many SS spots open. Maybe the Nats. He can probably play 2nd.
I often wonder if the players read any of this. Some of the discussion points above are crazy. 1) In my opinion he is the best SS in the MLB right now. If you want to argue otherwise fine. He is still a top 3 from anyone’s perspective. 2) He doesn’t just make your team better, he makes your pitching better and God knows that we need all the help that we can get there. 3) If it seems that your team is out of contention and you have an opportunity to avoid possibly reinjuring yourself in the final year of a contract why wouldn’t you do what he did. This decision has nothing to do with Covid other than Covid provided a path to preserve himself and provide a better position to negotiate from. I think that everyone understands that an ankle injury is susceptible to re-aggrevation right? He needs all the time that he can get to heal and strengthen it.