Update:
Mets inquired on Andrelton Simmons this morning and were told that it would take Matt Harvey or Jacob deGrom. (Joel Sherman)
That’s code for, “We’re not trading him to you or anyone else in the division.”
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According to Jonah Keri of ESPN, the Atlanta Braves are discussing a trade involving shortstop Andrelton Simmons with a team from the National League West.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed the report and added that the Braves have been in the early stages of trade talks with several teams including the Padres, Dodgers and Angels about their defensive star, and that the Mets are not one of them perhaps because Atlanta doesn’t want to deal him within their division.
It does not appear as though any deal is imminent, and one report says the Braves could just be gauging the level of interest to see what kind of a haul they could get in a weak free agent shortstop market. The Braves are looking for top young players or near MLB-ready prospects in return.
Simmons, 26, is under team control through 2020 with a very reasonable $53 million remaining on his deal. A virtual defensive highlight reel in the field, he missed out on a third Gold Glove award this season to the Giants’ Brandon Crawford. However, on Wednesday Simmons was named the Defensive Player of the Year by Wilson.
The one gripe on Simmons is that he has not progressed at the plate and posted a .265/.322/.338 batting line this season with just 29 extra-base hits in 583 plate appearances. But he’s young enough for those numbers to improve.
On Tuesday, Mets assistant GM John Ricco asserted that the team was comfortable with Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada at shortstop, citing that their production ranked tenth in the majors in WAR and that the combo was good enough to get the team to the World Series.
Of course, adding Simmons would be huge for the Mets significantly solidifying their defense up the middle and making their already superior pitching a couple of notches better. He’s certainly a difference maker from a defensive point of view who can impact a game with his glove as Mets fans know all too well.
However, a deal like this could require the Mets moving a Steven Matz or Michael Conforto and an additional top minor league piece like Amed Rosario or Gavin Cecchini. The Braves are not going to deal a young major league defensive star like Simmons for a player on the shelf like Zack Wheeler who may or may not be ready to pitch again until June or July.
Still, I don’t see the Braves actually dealing him unless a team really blows them away with an offer.
