Is Dansby Swanson the Boston Red Sox’ backup plan at shortstop?
Xander Bogaerts remains priority No. 1 as the two sides continue to work on a deal, but the Red Sox reportedly are among the teams that have expressed the most interest in Swanson, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Minnesota Twins are also in the mix.
Bogaerts, Swanson, and Carlos Correa are the top shortstops remaining on the free-agent market. Swanson is coming off his first All-Star season, during which he played in all 162 games and hit .277/.329/.447 with 25 homers and 96 RBI. The 28-year-old helped the Atlanta Braves to a World Series title in 2021.
If Bogaerts signs elsewhere, Swanson would be a solid Plan B. Otherwise, the Red Sox might be forced to move second baseman Trevor Story or utility man Kiké Hernandez over to shortstop.
After a quiet start to the offseason, Boston has been active during the winter meetings. It bolstered its bullpen with the reported signings of Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen, then reportedly added to its outfield by signing Japanese star Masataka Yoshida.