Red Sox Among Four Teams Reportedly Poised To Make Serious Run For Dansby Swanson

Boston is making a late push for the last notable shortstop on the market

Scott Neville | Dec 16, 2022

Red Sox Among Four Teams Reportedly Poised To Make Serious Run For Dansby Swanson /

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The Boston Red Sox appear to be making a late push for the top free agent available after losing out on star shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom referred to Bogaerts as "Plan A" this offseason. After being outbid for Bogey by a hefty margin, Bloom has moved on to "Plan B" according to the latest report.

"Red Sox appear to be seriously considering star free agent Dansby Swanson now," the New York Post's Jon Heyman tweeted Thursday.

Heyman noted that the move would quite obviously allow Trevor Story to stay at second base, which appears to be added motivation for Boston. He also noted the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves as suitors "among others interested."

Heyman has a reputation for being a mouthpiece for agents, but MassLive's Chris Cotillo confirmed that "Red Sox people" have some level of interest in Swanson, and the 28-year-old has enough of a market that agents would not need Heyman to drive up the price tag.

Swanson hit .277 with 58 extra-base hits including 25 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .776 OPS in a campaign where he played all 162 games.

The former No. 1 overall pick claimed his first All-Star appearance as well as a National League Gold Glove in 2022. He's missed just two games in the last two seasons and is in the prime of his career.

Moving on from Bogaerts is a tough pill to swallow, but Swanson checks many boxes. The only real downside for Swanson is his lack of career pedigree and consistency -- though his OPS has stayed in the same range despite varying batting averages.

FanGraphs' Ben Clemens projects Swanson to land a six-year, $144 million this winter, though the market has since been inflated. Clemens was off substantially on Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts (as was everyone else) but came very close on his Trea Turner projection.

Given the fact that four large-market clubs are in on Swanson, it would be stunning if he only received $144 million over six years -- almost exactly what Story signed for a year ago.

The Red Sox likely have a genuine interest in Swanson, but, as with most negotiations in the Bloom era, the negotiations will almost certainly exceed what ownership is willing to spend.

If Swanson does somehow land in Boston, he would create one of the best middle infield tandems in baseball alongside Story. Swanson ranked in the 100th percentile in outs above average last season while Story was in the 97th percentile at second base. The defensive advantage will be even greater when the new shifting limitations are implemented next season.

Swanson would also add an impact right-handed bat for a roster that is extremely left-handed laden. Bloom has spoken at length about the need to add an impact righty, which might be enough to inspire the organization to pay up for Swanson.

If the Red Sox do indeed add Swanson, it would put the Red Sox in a much better position to compete moving forward, appeasing the fans who fear another last-place finish in the American League East.

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Published Dec 16, 2022

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu