MLB: Who Will Be Boston’s Shortstop?
A ton of speculation has been swirling about in regards to what the Red Sox are going to do to trump the Yankees this off season. A couple of things are for certain, one is they want to either re-sign Jason Bay or sign Matt Holliday. The other certainty is they need to figure out who their shortstop is going to be next season.
With Alex Gonzalez signing with the Blue Jays and Jed Lowrie failing to catch on and coming off a major wrist injury the Red Sox are now in search of a new shortstop.
They are rumored to have an interest in Marco Scutaro and he is said to be interested in them. There have also been rumors that the Sox will make a run at Hanley Ramirez who can likely be pried away from the Marlins for the right price.
On the heels of those rumors comes a report that the team is considering moving second baseman Dustin Pedroia to short and possibly go after a second baseman that is likely to command less of an asking price and can be moved back to second once Jose Iglesias is ready for prime time viewing.
There is some sentiment that the team could go after free agents Felipe Lopez or Orlando Hudson who will cost them significantly less than a Hanley Ramirez will. Lopez or Hudson would also give them an upgrade offensively over what they had last year in Julio Lugo, Gonzalez and Lowrie.
Another option at second base that is being rumored is Brandon Phillips. The Reds are rumored to be looking to pare the payroll significantly and there is some sentiment that the Reds want to deal Phillips before his salary becomes more than the Reds can handle. Phillips’ would cost them less than Ramirez will command by way of trade and his salary will be significantly less next season as well.
The big question would be how much of a hit they would take defensively by moving Pedroia to short? Pedroia initially started his professional career as a shortstop, and, ironically enough, was moved to second base when it became apparent the talent they had in Hanley Ramirez. Pedroia says he can do it, but, there are a lot of folks who do not think he has the range to handle the move to short.
The fact that Pedroia is talking openly about the potential move in the press makes one think this rumor has some teeth to it, and the Sox know it will be easier and cost less to find a suitable second baseman as opposed to a shortstop. If I had to guess I would say Pedroia opens the season at short with either Hudson or Lopez playing second.
