Yankees Not Expected To Pursue Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts, Top Shortstops

New York appears content with shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Scott Neville | Sep 30, 2022

Yankees Not Expected To Pursue Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts, Top Shortstops /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox will have their hands full as multiple pieces of their core enter the free-agent market this winter, but they reportedly will not have to battle their biggest rival for the highest-touted player of the bunch.

"The (St. Louis) Cardinals, (San Francisco) Giants, (Philadelphia) Phillies and (Chicago) Cubs are among teams that could join the Red Sox, (Los Angeles) Dodgers, (Atlanta) Braves and (Minnesota) Twins in pursuit of one of the big free-agent shortstops -- Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts (Correa and Bogaerts will be opting out)," the New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday.

"The (New York) Yankees are thought to be OK with Isiah Kiner-Falefa holding the spot for top prospect Anthony Volpe, unless they ultimately decide Volpe is better suited for second base."

While there appears to be plenty of competition for Bogaerts and other premier middle infielders, the Yankees' deep pockets are not expected to play a role in the shortstop carousel for the second year in a row.

The Bronx Bombers seemingly are putting their full belief in the pairing of Kiner-Falefa and Volpe. Falefa is tied for 14th in WAR among shortstops with a 2.8, while Volpe is the No. 5 prospect in Major League Baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

While it's good to know how involved other teams would be in a Bogaerts sweepstakes, the Red Sox could avoid the concept altogether.

Bogey did not rule out signing a deal before the season is over. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom claimed that the 29-year-old is someone he wants to have in Boston his whole career, which the slugger appreciated. Manager Alex Cora said the team is preparing to bring him back.

Whether the Red Sox brass is true to their word or not, it's a nice consolation to know that Bogaerts is not expected to end up in the Bronx, sporting pinstripes.

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Published Sep 30, 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