Ex-Rangers All-Star Pegged As Option For Shortstop-Needy Red Sox By MLB Insider
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Rumors are swirling around the Boston Red Sox at the moment.
With middle infield openings after losing Xander Bogaerts in free agency and Trevor Story to injury, many have speculated who will actually play the spots in 2022. One player that has been tied to the Red Sox is longtime Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
"There are a lot of at-bats and innings available at the shortstop position for the Boston Red Sox," Morosi said. "To me, having a non-roster shortstop come in and try to win that job, or at least add some flexibility because if you are the Red Sox and all of a sudden you bring in Elvis Andrus to play shortstop and he wins the job or plays well enough to win the job you can have (Enrique Hernandez) play center field and that opens up the question of what Jarren Duran's role is going to be.
"But that center field, shortstop position -- Hernandez probably has one of them, but the other one is well open for grabs and I think that we could see potentially Elvis Andrus step in Fort Myers with a lot of games and innings to play this spring."
Boston reportedly signed former Atlanta Braves slugger Adam Duvall to a deal that could allow Hernandez to move to the infield. Hernandez has played both shortstop and second base throughout his career as well as in the outfield so either position likely would be in good hands.
If the Red Sox were to sign Andrus, he could pencil in as the team's everyday shortstop, Hernandez could man second base, and Duvall could be the team's everyday center fielder.
Andrus spent the 2022 season with the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox and slashed .249/.303/.404 while smashing 17 home runs and driving in 58 runs across 149 games played. The 33-year-old also would bring a bit of speed to the Boston lineup after stealing 18 bases in 2022.
The Red Sox certainly could afford a deal with Andrus if they saw fit. Andrus is projected to command a deal with an annual value just north of $4 million in 2023 according to Spotrac.
Andrus certainly would not be Boston's long-term option at shortstop but could provide the team with a solid veteran option while they await the return of Story and the eventual promotion of top prospect Marcelo Mayer. The 2021 fourth-overall draft pick is still just 20 years old and likely is a year or two away from the big leagues so Andrus could help bridge the gap for Boston.
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