RetroSimba

In his only opportunity to experience free agency, Ted Simmons had a chance to return to the National League with the Giants.

Instead, he decided to stay with the American League Brewers.

Compensation was an issue, but so was playing position. The Brewers planned to shift Simmons from catcher to designated hitter. The Giants, with no designated hitter rule in the National League, wanted Simmons to play first base.

Run producer

Simmons had a stellar season as a hitter for the Brewers in 1983, the year after they played the Cardinals in the World Series.

Starting 83 games at catcher and 66 games as designated hitter, Simmons had a career-high 108 RBI in 1983. He batted .308 and produced 185 hits.

According to The Sporting News, Simmons’ batting average in 1983 was the highest among all big-league switch-hitters who had enough at-bats to qualify for a batting title that season.

Simmons was a significant force in the clutch in 1983, hitting .373 with runners in scoring position and .500 (7-for-14) with the bases loaded.

After the season, Simmons, 34, became a free agent for the first time since he entered the majors with the Cardinals in 1968.

Simmons said he wanted to stay with the Brewers, who he joined when traded by the Cardinals in December 1980, but he also wanted to find out his value on the open market.

Establishing terms

Though the Brewers sought to keep Simmons for his bat, they wanted a defensive upgrade at catcher. In 1983, runners were successful on 82 of 116 stolen base attempts when Simmons was catcher. His backup, Ned Yost, threw out a mere eight of 65 runners trying to steal.

On Dec. 8, 1983, while Simmons was a free agent, the Brewers acquired six-time American League Gold Glove Award winner Jim Sundberg from the Rangers to be their catcher.

If Simmons wanted to return to the Brewers, it would be as a designated hitter. Simmons was OK with the role proposed for him, but he wanted a four-year contract and the Brewers were offering no more than three.

Simmons, who was negotiating without an agent, said seven teams besides the Brewers had been in contact with him, the San Francisco Examiner reported.

The Giants showed the most interest among the new suitors. Their first baseman, Darrell Evans, who hit 30 home runs in 1983, also had become a free agent and signed with the Tigers. The Giants viewed Simmons as a replacement for him.

“San Francisco still needs a first baseman and is making bids for Ted Simmons,” Tracy Ringolsby reported in the Kansas City Star.

In The Sporting News, Stan Isle wrote, “The Giants are said to be making a strong bid for Ted Simmons with the intention of playing him at first base.”

Making it work

If Simmons was hoping to use the Giants’ interest as leverage, the Brewers weren’t budging.

In early January, Simmons changed his contract terms when he met with Brewers general manager Harry Dalton, The Sporting News reported. Two weeks later, on Jan. 16, 1984, he and the Brewers agreed to a three-year guaranteed contract for $1 million per year, with a club option on a fourth year.

“Up until 10, 12 days ago, I was very concerned it wasn’t going to happen,” Simmons told The Sporting News. “I wanted a four-year guaranteed situation and it was a structure the organization could not live with. It was a concession I made.”

Dalton told the Associated Press, “He likes it here and we like .308 hitters.”

Simmons told The Sporting News, “Being a DH is something I’ve looked forward to.” Noting that he caught in excess of 100 games in 11 of his big-league seasons, Simmons said, “Even though at age 34 I think I could continue to do it, I think I’m at the point of my career where I don’t want to do it.”

End of the line

A month later, in February 1984, the Giants acquired Al Oliver, 37, from the Expos to be their first baseman. Oliver, who had two years left on a contract that paid $800,000 per year, hit .300 for the Expos in 1983 and led the National League in doubles for the second consecutive season.

On Opening Day in 1984, Oliver was the Giants’ cleanup hitter, batting between Jack Clark and Jeffrey Leonard. He hit .298 for them in 91 games, but was traded to the Phillies in August after the Giants fell to the bottom of the standings.

Simmons, like the Brewers, had a terrible season in 1984, hitting .221. It was the only season in his Hall of Fame career that he didn’t play a game as a catcher. He made 75 starts as a designated hitter, 37 at first base and 14 at third base. He hit .091 (1-for-11) with the bases loaded.

Simmons “lost all sense of the strike zone,” columnist Peter Gammons wrote in The Sporting News.

Like the Giants, the Brewers finished last in their division in 1984.

Simmons rebounded in 1985, the second year of his three-year deal with the Brewers. He had 144 hits and 76 RBI. He made 11 starts at catcher, 27 at first base, two at third base and 99 as designated hitter.

In March 1986, Simmons was traded to the Braves, and he spent his last three seasons with them, serving as a utility player and an unofficial coach for manager Chuck Tanner.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my five years in Milwaukee,” Simmons told Cardinals Magazine in 2020. “The people there are wonderful, a lot like you see in St. Louis. They’re down to earth, work hard, expect to be paid, and they love their baseball.”