I might be in the minority here (especially in Red Sox fandom), but with the Sawx signing Sandoval and HanRam, Ive seen a lot of talk about Xander Bogaerts being traded for pitching. Im against this. HanRam is a average to below average defender at ss right now and in 5 years its going to be brutal. If hes amenable to moving off SS, Why not stick him in left? Playing 81 games at Fenway will help him because theres less ground to cover (although there is that wall to worry about) and the Red Sox can either move Cespedes to right (I think he can more than handle the spaciousness of Fenways right field) and trade Victorino, or they can just move Cespedes. Sure they probably wont get the same caliber of pitcher that they would if they move Xander, but the prospect of a 35 year old Hanley playing SS in 4 years (I dont think Devin Marerros bat can carry him as a starter) is a troubling prospect to me. Hanley to LF for now and maybe DH once Ortiz retires and keeping XB is the way Id go. They can still sign Lester or another FA and theres plenty of arms in the pipeline (Ranaudo, Barnes, Owens, Rodriguez, Ball, etc). Long story, long: I dont think the advantages Cole Hamels (or anyone else they could get) outweigh the advantages of having a young shortstop like Xander Bogaerts. Sorry for the mini essay.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 20:04:33 +0000
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