The Atlanta Braves have agreed to yet another extension, this time with shortstop Andrelton Simmons. The team announced that deal will run through 2020, and Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that it's worth $58 million over the next seven seasons.
Braves sign Andrelton Simmons to 7-year, $58 million extension
Atlanta has continued their extension spree with the NL’s best shortstop.
Kevin C. Cox
Simmons will earn a $1 million signing bonus and $1 million in 2014, $3 million in 2015, $6 million in 2016, $8 million in 2017, $11 million in 2018, $13 million in 2019, and $15 million in 2020, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.
Simmons, 24, won the National League Gold Glove for shortstops in his first full season with the Braves in 2013.
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He hit just .248/.296/.396, but his glove was spectacular enough to net him a 4.7 WAR from FanGraphs.
The deal buys out two years of his free agent eligibility, in 2019 and 2020, and continues the Braves recent trend of locking up their core players through their arbitration eligibility as well. Simmons will likely make a push for super-two status, which would make him eligible for arbitration next winter and result in a total of four years of total eligibility.
Last season, Simmons somewhat surprisingly hit 17 home runs for the Braves after hitting just six in three years in the minors. That extra pop might not be sustainable given his previous track record, but the added power he showed last season was enough for him to post an overall offensive production that was close to league average despite a .296 on-base percentage.
By securing Simmons, along with Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, Julio Teheran, and Craig Kimbrel, the Braves will avoid most of the significant arbitration cases they would have faced for the next few years. Their decision to do so is partially due to their long-term TV deal that is likely to continue limit their payroll as the rest of the league sees their revenue increase.
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