Just when things couldn’t get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, they just did. After all, Murphy’s law state’s that anything that can go wrong will. Star infielder Trevor Story had to have elbow surgery and will be out for most of this season. This is a tough blow to a team that has lost Xander Bogaerts, has thin depth everywhere, and doesn’t have an infield prospect that is ready to come up. Story was slated to take over at shortstop with the departure of Xander Bogaerts. The Red Sox were already projected to be in last place in 2023, and the season will now be worse. However, there are things the Red Sox can do to soften the blow of Story’s injury.
Softening the Blow From Within
With Trevor Story now out, this leaves Boston with Kike Hernandez, Christian Arroyo, and Niko Goodrum to play shortstop. As it stands right now, Kike Hernandez would move over from the outfield and play shortstop. Manager Alex Cora hinted that Hernandez would be playing shortstop. While he played outfield most of the time last year, he logged 44.2 innings at shortstop. However, this would mean that Jarren Duran would have to take over Hernandez’s spot in the outfield. Last season, Duran had a rough rookie year and is very questionable defensively.
Filling The Hole With A Free Agent
If Boston doesn’t want to have Duran play every day, there are still some quality shortstops out on the free-agent market. It never hurts to add more depth to the infield. Chaim Bloom likes to “dumpster dive” in the market and this would be a prime opportunity for that. While Elvis Andrus (.707 OPS with Athletics and White Sox) is an option, the name that sticks out is Jose Iglesias. Does that name look familiar? Well, it should. Iglesias spent the first two and a half seasons of his career with the Red Sox before they traded him to the Tigers in 2013. He would come in second place in the 2013 American League Rookie of the Year vote.
After four seasons in Detroit, Jose Iglesias has bounced around the league. He’s spent brief periods of time with the Reds, Orioles, and Angels. After being released by the Angels, the Red Sox brought him back. In 23 games for Boston, Iglesias had a scorching slash line of .356/.406/.508. and an OPS of .915. While he was ineligible for the postseason roster due to being signed late, Iglesias was a key player down the stretch for them. Last year, Jose Iglesias had a very productive season on a 94-loss Colorado Rockies team. In 439 at-bats, he had a slash line of .292/.328/.380 and an OPS .708.
With how productive Iglesias has been for the Red Sox in the past, why not bring him back? After all, keeping Hernandez in the outfield is more ideal than playing Jarren Duran. Iglesias still has the skills to be a productive player. His bat would also help an offense that is in dire need of some more “pop” as well.
The Trade Market
Another option the Red Sox can do is swing a trade for a shortstop. However, the Red Sox are unlikely to want to part with top prospects like Marcelo Mayer. This will probably limit Boston to getting a shortstop that is better at defense than offense. Boston really struggled defensively in 2022, and they have big bats in Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, and Justin Turner. It would be smarter to pursue a defensive specialist at shortstop and let those guys carry the load offensively. One name that comes to mind is the Padres Ha-Seong Kim.
Kim filled in quite nicely for the suspended Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2022. He was excellent defensively and was even productive offensively, with an OPS of .708. With the Padres singing Xander Bogaerts, San Diego is flipping Kim to second base. However, I am sure that San Diego would rather have Jake Cronenworth’s bat in the lineup every day than Kim’s. Cronenworth is much more of a threat offensively than Kim. While Kim had 59 RBI, Cronenworth had 88 with an OPS of .722 and has been an All-Star the past two seasons.
To acquire Kim, the Red Sox wouldn’t have to give up a top prospect to get him. Kim would be able to provide some offense along with stellar defense. If he plays well enough, Kim could easily make himself be potentially a part of the Red Sox future as well. This trade is too good for Chaim Bloom not to pursue. Having already filled in very well for Tatis Jr., I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t do well in Boston.
How This Benefits the Present and Future
While losing Trevor Story is rough, the Red Sox have plenty of options to help fill the void. They can do it from within, sign a free agent or make a trade. I believe signing a free agent or making a trade would help soften the blow rather than trying to fill it from within. If the Red Sox handle this situation correctly, they can easily help themselves both in the present and the future.
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