Red Sox's Alex Cora Appoints Shortstop If Xander Bogaerts Does Not Re-Sign

Cora has another premier defender waiting in the wings

Scott Neville | Oct 6, 2022

Red Sox's Alex Cora Appoints Shortstop If Xander Bogaerts Does Not Re-Sign /

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Boston Red Sox

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding some of the core members of the Boston Red Sox, especially those currently filling key positions. Shortstop, however, is not a huge concern whether Xander Bogaerts returns or not.

While that's not to say Bogey's decision won't have a massive effect on the team one way or the other, it's nice to know that the backup plan up the middle is fairly strong.

While speaking at the end-of-season press conference Thursday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked whether he thinks Trevor Story is a viable option at shortstop or if he planned on keeping him at second base next season.

"I do believe he can handle shortstop," Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN's broadcast. "I know a lot of people talk about his arm, but just watching him this year, going to his right, playing deep in the shift, he was never exposed. And he's a different type of shortstop than at second base.

"At second base he plays back and waits for the ball to get to him, when he plays short he plays fast and he's always on the run. To answer your question, I do believe he can handle shortstop."

At the beginning of the 2022 season, Cora was adamant that Story was purely a second baseman for Boston and would not see any reps at shortstop, even on Bogaerts' rest days. He kept to his word, as Story never played an inning outside of second base.

Cora and the Red Sox's brass appear much more willing to explore all options heading into 2023. If Bogaerts does depart, it would only make sense for Story -- a former Gold Glove award finalist at shortstop -- to slide over, assuming his arm is at full strength.

The Red Sox hope these ideas are nothing more than a brainstorm, as Boston's chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom claimed he will work on a new deal for Bogaerts "right away" and even gave a timeframe for when he hopes an agreement will be reached.

Similar comments were made about keeping superstar third baseman Rafeal Devers as a player to build around. A full season of Devers, Bogaerts, Story and the first base combination of Triston Casas and Eric Hosmer would be a dynamic infield.

If not, it looks like Story will join Devers on the left side of the diamond.

More MLB: Here's When Red Sox's Chaim Bloom Aims To Reach New Deal With Xander Bogaerts

Published Oct 6, 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