Red Sox's Alex Cora Names Xander Bogaerts' Position Should He Return
Will Xander Bogaerts have to switch positions should he return to the Boston Red Sox with elite defensive middle infielder Trevor Story already on the roster and a long history of lackluster production manning arguably the most important position on the diamond?
Red Sox manager Alex Cora put any questions of Bogey possibly moving to second or third base to bed. When asked how long the 30-year-old could play shortstop, he made it clear a switch is not happening any time soon.
"The way he trains, the way he moves, the way he goes about his business in the offseason, probably as long as he can handle it," Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN's broadcast Thursday. "His body hasn't changed in what, three or four years. When he changes he's getting more explosive and stronger so, I don't know.
"I can not answer in years but I do believe we saw strides this year and we just asked him to do just a few things (differently). So with his work ethic and the way he goes about it, time will tell but we do believe that he played really good this year just making a few adjustments."
Cora's claim of Bogaerts' strong defensive season can easily be backed by numbers, as he ranked No. 17 out of 144 shortstops in defensive runs saved with four in 1,249 2/3 innings.
There have been many rumors that Trevor Story would assume the position next season, but that only appears to remain possible if Bogaerts departs. Based on the end-of-season press conference Thursday, Bogaerts landing with a new team next season is not a part of the plan.
Bloom said that he would start working on a new deal with Bogey "right away" and even gave a timeline for when he'd like the deal done.
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