Should Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story Swap Positions Next Year?
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Could Boston Red Sox keep the same infield in tact next season with a position swap up the middle?
While the biggest question surrounds shortstop Xander Bogaerts' uncertain future in Boston, the club should consider a position change while they're at it.
Bogaerts put together three defensive runs saved this season, which ranks him No. 19 out of 144 players registered at shortstop. He's had an incredible resurgence defensively, but his best position appears to be on the other side of the diamond.
The 30-year-old has never made an official appearance at second base but has thrived when asked to move over there in certain shifts with five outs above average.
Given Trevor Story's incredible range and overall defensive prowess, it would make the most sense for a position swap. Story ranked No. 8 in DRS among 184 players at second base in only 94 games this season. He's already been a Gold Glove award finalist at shortstop and could reassume the role with ease.
While the experiment would likely result in the best defensive positioning possible assuming Bogaerts stays in Boston, it's highly unlikely to happen.
Bogaerts clearly takes pride in being the shortstop of the Red Sox, which was made clear when all of the quotes came out amid rumors of a potential position change last winter. He's now backed up his confidence with the best defensive season of his career, and it'd be a tough sell to demote him now, even if Boston paid him as a shortstop.
The team also has made no inclination that Story would move back to shortstop at the conclusion of the 2022 season. If the Red Sox saw Story's time in second base as temporary, they would not have been so against the 29-year-old getting reps there.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained early on that he wanted Story to learn everything there is to know about playing second base and that he would not play shortstop this season. He held true to his word, as Story has not played an inning outside of second base.
If the Red Sox saw the situation as temporary, you'd think they would want Story to get some reps at shortstop, particularly when Bogaerts was given rest days. Instead, the team turned to guys like Christian Arroyo and Kiké Hernández to fill in up the middle because they wanted Story to stay at second.
There's almost no chance Boston would resign Bogaerts and then swap the two middle infielders, but the numbers indicate that it could be the best path for a defense that has been lackluster for years.
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