Andrelton Simmons is the top fielding shortstop in baseball. (Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports)
The Atlanta Braves traded shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels for veteran shortstop Erick Aybar and two minor-league pitchers, according to published reports.
Also going to the Angels are left-handed starter Sean Newcomb and right-hander Christopher Ellis.
Simmons, 26, batted .265 with four homers and 44 RBIs for the Braves in 2015 and is considered one of the top defensive shortstops in baseball.
Aybar, 31, played 10 seasons with the Angels and batted .270 with three homers and 44 RBIs in 2015.
—The San Diego Padres traded veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit to the Seattle Mariners for two minor-leaguers.
The Padres received right-handed pitcher Enyel De Los Santos and infielder Nelson Ward from Seattle.
Benoit, 38, was 6-5 with two saves and a 2.34 ERA in 2015. He has a 54-42 career mark with 50 saves and a 3.84 ERA in 14 seasons with Texas, Tampa Bay, Detroit and San Diego.
—Outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, who returned to play well for Seattle in 2015 after sitting out all of 2014, agreed to a one-year contract with the Mariners.
The team did not announce financial terms of the deal, which restores the veteran free agent to the Mariners’ 40-man roster.
Gutierrez, 32, missed the 2014 season due to ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic arthritic condition affecting the lower back and legs. The same ailment cost him time each of the previous three years.
—Fired Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams has rejoined the Arizona Diamondbacks and will be the club’s third-base coach, the team announced.
Williams was Washington’s manager for two seasons. He was National League Manager of the Year in 2014 when the Nationals made the playoffs and he was fired after the team flopped and missed the playoffs in 2015.
Williams played for the Diamondbacks from 1998-2003 and was part of the team’s coaching staff from 2010-13.
