After a 12-day flurry in which the Braves signed four players to multiyear contract extensions worth a minimum of $222.7 million, a lot of people think Andrelton Simmons could and/or should be next.
The Gold Glove shortstop reported to spring training Tuesday and almost immediately fielded that question as cleanly as he fields grounders up the middle.
“I’m just focused on playing,” he said. “If it happens, great. I love Atlanta. So hopefully something gets done. But you never know.”
The Braves gave a franchise-record eight-year, $135 million contract to Freddie Freeman; a four-year, $42 million deal to closer Craig Kimbrel; a six-year, $32.4 million contract to Julio Teheran, and a two-year, $13.3 million deal to Jason Heyward.
“I’m glad,” Simmons said, then listed how glad he was for each of them, by name, and smiled before adding: “Now I can get spoiled. I don’t have to pay for anything.”
In all seriousness, he said: “We all know what we have in Freddie. We know what we have in Jason. Julio does a good job on the mound. And I think Kimbrel is the best closer that I’ve seen. You’ve got to love what the Braves have done.”
So what about Simmons? In his first full season, the 24-year-old Curacao native not only won a Gold Glove as the National League’s top defensive shortstop, he won the Platinum Glove as the NL’s best overall defensive player regardless of position.
“I didn’t think I was going to get it,” he said of the latter award, which he thought would go to Cardinals perennial Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina.
It’s uncertain whether Simmons will become arbitration eligible as a Super 2 player after the 2014 season, or if he’ll fall just short of being in the top 17 percent of service time under three years, the Super 2 threshold. Either way, it might behoove the Braves to get him signed before he ever gets to arbitration, as they did with Teheran.
The only potential obstacle to a deal with Simmons is a difference of opinion on how much his offense is worth, and how much any offensive deficiency is offset by his overwhelming defensive ability.
Simmons hit only .248 with a .296 on-base percentage, but among NL shortstops he ranked first in WAR (6.7) and fourth in home runs (17) and RBIs (59).
“I don’t understand the whole thing, but I know I’ve got to do my work,” he said. “I’ve got to earn whatever.”
He was one of the first to arrive at spring training the past couple of years, but showed up on reporting day Tuesday after being delayed by visa issues in Curacao.
Gamel released: The Braves released corner infielder Mat Gamel, who reinjured his right knee, which twice was surgically repaired, while working out last week before reporting to spring training.
The 28-year-old former Brewers prospect signed a minor league deal this winter and was viewed as a low-cost bench candidate with good left-handed power.
Gamel missed most of the past two seasons after twice tearing his ACL. In his previous healthy season, in 2011, he hit .310 with 28 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .372 on-base percentage in 128 games at Triple-A Nashville.
Visa issues resolved: Dominican pitchers Atahualpo Severino and Lay Batista got their visa issues resolved and reported to camp Tuesday, four days after the first workout for pitchers and catchers, but in time for Wednesday's first full-squad workout.
They were the last of the three pitchers late to camp for visa problems, after right-hander Luis Vasquez reported Monday. The Dominican sidearmer is a solid candidate for a bullpen spot, but strained a lat muscle on his right side a few weeks ago and is waiting to have his physical this weekend before he can be cleared to throw.
TV games: The Braves' spring-training TV schedule includes games on SportSouth against the Cardinals on March 13, the Tigers on March 21 and March 27, and the Red Sox on March 22; on Fox Sports South against the Mets on March 23 and the Astros on March 24, and on ESPN against the Tigers on March 25. Additional games will be carried on MLB Network, which hasn't released its schedule.
