Never count out A.J. Preller and the San Diego Padres. Just a few years ago, who would have thought that the Padres would have traded for players such as Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Juan Soto and well, you get the point. With a few very appealing shortstops on the market, the Padres are looking to bolster their infield even with an early return to Fernando Tatis Jr. next season. So, if this happens, how can the Padres work around a crowded infield?
Credit to NBC Sports for this image.
Maybe we can celebrate the holiday season a little early, Friar Faithful. Never underestimate what this team can do, as we clearly saw that on August 2nd, 2022 with the Soto blockbuster.
After making a surprising and yet exciting run to the NLCS with no Fernando Tatis Jr, the Padres are still looking to be an absolute powerhouse for opposing teams in order to bring that World Series trophy to San Diego. With that deep postseason run, that benefited not just the Padres' exposure in the playoffs, but also Tatis Jr. who will now be available as soon as April 20th to return in uniform after missing all of 2022 due to many issues; most recently being the P.E.D 80-game suspension. (Suspension did include postseason games.)
With the Padres being able to produce so effectively in 2022 without their star shortstop, it will be great to see Tatis Jr. return. However, questions are in the air for all of us as we wonder where he will be playing on the field. After committing 21 errors in 2021, the Padres decided it would be ideal to place Tatis Jr. in the outfield. Mostly in right field, but also had innings taken in center field. In addition, due to such a demanding position that can put a toll on one's body, it could be that the Padres did not want to risk another injury for the superstar. When he comes back, with or without the possible addition of Bogaerts, we will all be curious about where he will play and for how long that will last.
Credit to the San Diego Union-Tribune for this image.
Now shifting to the man himself, Xander Bogaerts. A 2x World Series Champion, 4x All-Star and 5x Silver Slugger while just turning 30, Bogaerts is an absolute hitting machine. One of the few star shortstops on the market, and one of the most recent Padres in Juan Soto is trying to recruit Bogaerts to wear that brown and gold.
You could argue Bogaerts would slot in at shortstop as he has played 1192 games in that position. However, San Diego is full of surprises and could try and discuss a potential shift to second or even first. Let's just stick to a possible second base shift. If that is the case, you can slot Cronenworth to first or, if you bring back Josh Bell, make more versatility and have Cronenworth play outfield or even have Bell or Bogaerts DH. There is a lot of room to move players around in the lineup and on the field with this addition. Questions could come if Ha-Seong Kim would become a utility player or a trade piece with this move.
It would not hurt at all to snatch a player like Bogaerts. In my opinion, Bogaerts is an underrated player who has not been mentioned too often until now due to his free agency status. Bogaerts holds a career slash line .292/.356/.458 (.814 OPS) throughout ten years in the majors. Pretty darn good if you ask me.
However, is Bogaerts a necessity this off-season? Nope. In fact, he should be at the bottom of it all unless all is said and done, come later on. The Padres have much more to focus on, as they have recently lost their starting pitcher Mike Clevinger to the Chicago White Sox and look to potentially re-sign Brandon Drury, Josh Bell and more. The Padres know they need some kind of power at first base and now with José Abreu going to Houston, a Josh Bell reunion could be likely here in order to get that power production.
In a nutshell, grabbing Bogaerts would be awesome. But you do not want to clog up the infield too much. I am a fan of keeping El Niño at shortstop once he returns, or even slotting him at the DH spot for a little to work his way up. We could not wait for Tatis Jr. to be our future shortstop when coming to the big leagues, and we should be excited for his return. Friar Faithful, we should be hoping he is on the field next to Manny Machado and not in the outfield, nowhere near when he is back. Maybe the Padres work a deal and have Bogaerts be our second baseman. Besides, money talks at the end of the day. Machado was eyeing to stay at shortstop but after having great discussions with Preller and the Padres, he agreed to go back to third. Keep that in mind for some hope in acquiring another star.
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