Simmons to Angels: Great move, or was cost too high?
New Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler made his first big splash with the Halos on Thursday, acquiring Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons and catching prospect Jose Briceno from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for a trio of players: shortstop Erick Aybar, minor-league pitchers Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis and $2.5 million.
On the surface, the deal is immensely intriguing for both clubs. The Angels now have arguably the league's top defensive shortstop in Simmons, who is signed through the 2020 season. However, picking up a player of his caliber came at a cost for the Halos: Newcomb and Ellis were considered their top two prospects. The Braves, meanwhile, now have some big questions to answer, according to Ken Rosenthal. As a result of these narratives, reactions to the deal have been mixed in the hours since the news broke.
MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times chimed in on Twitter, beginning with a note from Gonzalez regarding the great cost the Angels paid for Simmons:
#Angels would not include Sean Newcomb in just about any deal in July. Funny how those things change with a new GM.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) November 12, 2015
Gonzalez later added a quote from Eppler, who admitted the "pain" associated with agreeing to this exchange of players:
Here are a few more quotes from Eppler regarding the trade, as passed along by Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register:
