Who Could Replace Xander Bogaerts on Red Sox?

Xander Bogaerts will be leaving Boston for San Diego after he and the Padres agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract on Thursday. The Red Sox loses their second best player after failing to make the postseason last year. The big question for Boston to answer this offseason is: Who is going to be their shortstop of the future?

At this moment, Dansby Swanson is available, however it’s up for debate whether Boston will be able to bring him in. Swanson has come onto the scene as one of the best shortstops in baseball over the past couple of seasons. After winning a World Series in 2021 with Atlanta, Swanson made his All-Star debut in 2022 where he had a .227/.329/.447 slash line. He also batted a career-high 96 RBIs with 25 home runs. The 28-year-old is likely to want a contract similar to Bogaerts, in both money and time. The Red Sox's offer to Bogaerts was considerably low compared to the Padres' proposal, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Carlos Correa could be an option after opting out of his contract with Minnesota. Correa had another fine season in 2022 with 22 homers, 64 RBIs, and slashed .291/.366/.467. Besides Minnesota, no team has expressed real interst in the former #1 overall pick which is odd given his talents. This could be a great time for Boston to present a contract to him. But the Red Sox will have to factor in how their fans might take the news if Corra does end up in Beantown. In a report by Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are fearful of signing Correa due to fan reaction.

The solution to Boston’s problem could already be on the roster thanks to an offseason move made last year. The Red Sox brought in Trevor Story from the Colorado Rockies on a six-year, $140 million contract. Story was forced to play second base for the first time and did a solid job. He had a .984 fielding percentage, the second highest in his career, and a 4.15 IgRF9. Injuries limited Story to 94 games where he slashed .238/.303/.434 with 16 homers and 66 RBIs.

Moving Story back to his original position would easily resolve the hole at shortstop but would open up another problem in the outfield. Kiké Hernández could come down and play second next year, but Jarren Duran and Jackie Bradley Jr. aren’t the most ideal alternatives, even with Masataka Yoshida coming over from Japan.

This could wind up being a key offseason for Boston going forward.